Getting Word Out Helps Boost DMC Numbers
April 1, 2026
After signup rates were lagging previous years for the Dairy Margin Coverage Program, a full-court communications press from NMPF helped push enrollment levels above year-ago levels, with an even higher percentage of dairy farmers participating as a proportion of U.S. dairy operations.
Participation in USDA’s Dairy Margin Coverage program rose to 13,349 this year, up from 12,989 in 2025. Currently, 57 percent of dairy farms are enrolled, compared to 53 percent the previous year.
The gain came after a comprehensive NMPF effort to get the word out, which included staff appearances on RFD-TV, distributed news articles via the National Association of Farm Broadcasters, social media, NMPF’s CEO’s Corner column and President’s Report from Gregg Doud, member alerts and news releases.
This growth highlights that farmers continue to recognize the importance of this safety net and benefit from its support. Congress improved DMC as part of farm-support provisions in last year’s budget reconciliation bill, with an updated production history and an increase in the amount of milk covered under the program.
As that effort was under way, the February margin under USDA’s Margin Coverage Program was generating another month of payments, with a reported margin for the month of $8.46/cwt, up $0.65/cwt from the month before. Farmers who elected coverage at the maximum $9.50/cwt level received a payment of $1.04/cwt for the month.
An $0.80/cwt increase in the all-milk price from January drove the higher margin, which was tempered by $0.15/cwt gain in the February DMC feed cost formula, due primarily to a higher soybean meal price.
The DMC Decision Tool on the USDA website projected at the end of March that February’s payment might be the year’s last, other than a possible small one for March. USDA expected margins to average $10.61/cwt for the year.
