Last week, the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPPF) Board of Directors unanimously approved a series of recommended changes to the dairy Margin Protection Program (MPP) intended to restore several key elements first proposed by NMPF during development of the 2014 Farm Bill. These changes to the MPP will ensure an effective safety net for the nation’s dairy farmers -- if the recommendations are adopted by Congress.

Land O’Lakes supports NMPF’s thought leadership to develop a unified set of proposals to make MPP a more viable safety net for the nation’s dairy farmers. Land O’Lakes is represented on the NMPF board by corporate board directors Cornell Kasbergen, Levi Ransom, and Pete Kappleman as well as Chief Operating Officer Beth Ford.

The Land O’Lakes Federal Government Relations team, led by Autumn Price, will continue to engage with Congressional leaders to support the best possible outcome for dairy producers nationwide throughout the 2018 Farm Bill discussions.

The recommendations range from changing the way dairy feed costs are calculated, to providing farmers greater flexibility in signing up for coverage and using other risk management tools. The four-point plan was developed by NMPF’s Economic Policy Committee, and reflects feedback from dairy producers, economists and members of Congress. It reflects several features originally proposed by NMPF that were subsequently weakened or eliminated as the 2014 farm bill was finalized.