ANAHEIM, CA — U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced expanded enrollment for the 2026 Dairy Margin Coverage program and new federal commodity purchases during the 107th convention of the American Farm Bureau Federation.

Enrollment for the 2026 Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) program opened January 12 and runs through February 26. The program provides price-support protection for dairy producers when the margin between milk prices and feed costs falls below selected levels.

Changes to DMC were authorized under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed into law by Donald J. Trump on July 4, 2025. The law reauthorized DMC through 2031 and increased Tier 1 coverage from five million pounds to six million pounds of milk production.

All producers enrolling for 2026 must establish a new production history. Operations marketing milk on or before January 1, 2023, will use the highest annual production from 2021, 2022, or 2023. Newer operations will use their first year of milk marketings, including partial years. Producers may also lock in coverage for six years with a 25% premium discount. A no-coverage option remains available, aside from a $100 administrative fee.

Rollins also announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture plans to purchase up to $80 million in specialty crops under Section 32 of the Agriculture Act of 1935 for distribution through food banks and nutrition assistance programs.

The planned purchases include $20 million each in almonds, grape juice, pistachios, and raisins. USDA officials said the purchases are intended to support American producers while strengthening the nation’s food assistance network.

Following the convention, Rollins met with specialty crop producers at a strawberry farm in Irvine, California, to discuss workforce needs and recent changes affecting the H-2A agricultural labor program.