The U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA) is extending the application deadline for the Milk Loss Program (MLP) to October 30, 2023, allowing more time for eligible dairy farmers to apply for much-needed, weather-related disaster recovery assistance.  

Administered by USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), MLP compensates dairy producers who, because of qualifying weather events, dumped or removed milk without compensation from the commercial milk market in calendar years 2020, 2021 and 2022. Eligible causes of loss also include consequences of these weather events, such as power outages, impassable roads and infrastructure losses. FSA opened MLP enrollment on September 11, 2023; the original MLP deadline was October 16, 2023.  

“We recognize that MLP benefits are critical to the financial recovery of dairy operations significantly impacted by weather-related disasters that inhibited their ability to deliver or store their milk in one, or even multiple years,” said FSA Administrator Zach Ducheneaux. “We also understand that dairy farming is a 24/7, 365-day commitment. We hope the application deadline extension ensures that all dairy farmers in need of assistance will now have adequate time to apply.” 

How to Apply  

To apply for MLP, producers must submit:  

• FSA-376, Milk Loss Program Application
• Milk marketing statement from the:
  • Month prior to the month milk was removed or dumped. 
  • Affected month. 
• Detailed written statement of milk removal circumstances, including the weather event type and geographic scope, what transportation limitations occurred and any information on what was done with the removed milk. 
• Any other information required by the regulation. 

If not previously filed with FSA, applicants must also submit all the following items within 60 days of the MLP application deadline:  

• Form AD-2047, Customer Data Worksheet.   
• Form CCC-902, Farm Operating Plan for an individual or legal entity.    
• Form CCC-901, Member Information for Legal Entities (if applicable).    
• Form FSA-510, Request for an Exception to the $125,000 Payment Limitation for Certain Programs (if applicable).    
• Form CCC-860, Socially Disadvantaged, Limited Resource, Beginning and Veteran Farmer or Rancher Certification, (if applicable). 
• A highly erodible land conservation (sometimes referred to as HELC) and wetland conservation certification (Form AD-1026 Highly Erodible Land Conservation (HELC) and Wetland Conservation (WC) Certification) for the MLP producer and applicable affiliates.   

Most producers, especially those who have previously participated in FSA programs, will likely have these required forms already on file. But those who are uncertain or want to confirm the status of their forms can contact FSA at their local USDA Service Center. 

For more information on eligibility and payments, view the MLP fact sheet.  

USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. In the Biden-Harris administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender.

A record $80 million grant will fund a pilot program that will encourage producers to implement climate-smart practices on farms.

Virginia Tech received a record $80 million grant from the United States Department of Agriculture to help farmers implement climate-smart practices that could significantly reduce greenhouse gasses. This is the single largest grant in Virginia Tech’s history.

With the Alliance to Advance Climate-Smart Agriculture, which is now underway, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences will distribute more than $57 million of the grant to producers to enact climate-friendly practices and serve as a pilot program that pays producers to implement climate-smart practices on farms of all sizes and commodities, an initiative that could have significant impacts on curbing climate-changing gasses.

The Alliance to Advance Climate-Smart Agriculture incentivizes and rewards farmers and ranchers for adopting climate-smart agricultural practices. Under the three-year, $80-million pilot program, the Alliance and its partners will help producers in Arkansas, Minnesota, North Dakota and Virginia prove the value of paying farmers and ranchers $100 per acre or animal unit for stewardship practices — delivering public value through carbon sequestration, greenhouse gas reduction, improved soil health, water quality, water conservation and other environmental services.

The pilot design, including the structure of producer incentive payments, was developed by Rural Investment to Protect the Environment (RIPE), a coalition of farmers, ranchers, agricultural trade associations and environmental organizations advancing a national policy that invests in rural America by enabling producers to earn a fair return for implementing voluntary conservation practices. RIPE is a former member of the Alliance to Advance Climate-Smart Agriculture.

The pilot is a project of USDA’s Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities, administered by Virginia Tech with participation from more than 14 additional partners.

Farmers, pesticide dealers, pest control firms, certified applicators, homeowners and golf course operators are encouraged to participate in the 2023 Virginia Pesticide Collection Program. The program collects unwanted, outdated or banned pesticides, at no cost to eligible participants, and disposes of them in a safe manner.

The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) Office of Pesticide Services, with participation from Virginia Cooperative Extension and the Division of Consolidated Laboratory Services, oversee the program, which has collected and destroyed more than 1.8 million pounds of outdated and unwanted pesticides since its inception. The program is funded through pesticide product registration fees collected by VDACS.

The following is a list of the 2023 collection sites and schedule. All locations are open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

• September 26 – Lynchburg Livestock Market, 243 Livestock Rd., Rustburg, Va.
• September 27 – Southern States-Farmers Cooperative, 182 Smi Way, Farmville, Va.
• September 28 – Meherrin Ag & Chemical, 1409 Vincent Store Rd., Charlotte Court House, Va.
• October 3 – Nutrien Ag (Fertilizer Warehouse), 204 South Lunenburg Ave., South Hill, Va.
• October 4 – Halifax County Agriculture Marketing Center, 1001 Farmway Ln., Scottsburg, Va.
• October 5 – Piedmont Farmers Cooperative (Formerly known as Southern States Chatham Co-op), 485 Tightsqueeze Industrial Rd., Chatham, Va.
• October 11 – National Guard Armory, 315 Commonwealth Blvd. W., Martinsville, Va.

In administering the Pesticide Collection Program, VDACS divides Virginia into five regions. Each year, the department conducts a collection in a different region. Once all five regions have been served, the program starts another cycle. Click here for the list of future collection localities.

Participants must transport their unwanted pesticides to the collection sites. If participants cannot safely containerize the unwanted pesticides for transport, VDACS may arrange assistance on a case-by-case basis. Only pesticides will be accepted. Pesticide contaminated material (for example, pesticide contaminated fertilizer) will not be accepted as part of the collection program. In addition, the program does NOT accept motor oil, paint, fuel, fertilizer or other chemicals.

Participants need to complete a pesticide collection registration form prior to the scheduled collection date and return the completed form to marlene.larios@vdacs.virginia.gov or mail to Office of Pesticide Services, VDACS, P.O. Box 1163, Richmond Virginia 23218. The form is available at www.vdacs.virginia.gov/pdf/disposalregistration.pdf or by contacting the program at 804.371.6561.

Participants should direct questions to their local Virginia Cooperative Extension agent or to the VDACS Office of Pesticide Services at marlene.larios@vdacs.virginia.gov.