MONTPELIER (AP) — Vermont dairy farmers can now sign up for an improved insurance program to help them when the gap between milk prices and feed prices reach a certain level.

The new insurance program was created as part of the 2018 farm bill. Vermont officials had expressed concern last winter that the federal government’s 35-day shutdown would delay implementation, but U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue in February committed to opening the sign up period by June 17.

In a statement last week, he said he was proud that Farm Service Agency staff worked hard to meet that challenge.

Vermont Public Radio reports that the insurance program comes after a four-year period of low milk prices, though the latest USDA dairy report shows milk prices rising over the first half of 2019.

–Associated Press

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