The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“DMC PROGRAM EXTENSION” mentioning the U.S. Dept of Agriculture was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H10603 on Dec. 17, 2019.
The Department is primarily focused on food nutrition, with assistance programs making up 80 percent of its budget. Downsizing the Federal Government, a project aimed at lowering taxes and boosting federal efficiency, said the Department implements too many regulations and restrictions and impedes the economy.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
DMC PROGRAM EXTENSION
(Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute.)
Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight the Department of Agriculture's Dairy Margin Coverage program.
The Dairy Margin Coverage program, or DMC program, is a relatively new voluntary risk management tool for dairy producers that was authorized in the 2018 farm bill. It replaces the Margin Protection Program for dairy.
As everyone in agriculture knows, the industry is subject to many unpredictable or uncontrollable factors.
This year, weather has left a sizeable impact on production.
The DMC program exists for incidents like this: for when factors outside of our control impact agriculture yields.
The enrollment period for the DMC program has been extended through December 20.
The USDA website has plenty of information on the program, including a tool to help select the ideal level of coverage.
Agriculture is Pennsylvania's number one industry, with dairy being the largest sector. With just a few days left to enroll, I would like to encourage our hardworking dairy farmers to take advantage of the tools at their disposal, like Dairy Margin Coverage.
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