The definitions in this section apply for all purposes of administering the DMC Program.

Actual dairy production margin means the difference between the all-milk price and the average feed cost, as calculated under §1430.411. If the calculation would produce a negative number, the margin is considered to be zero.

Administrative county office means the county FSA office designated to make determinations, handle official records, and issue payments for the producer in accordance with 7 CFR part 718.

All-milk price means the national average price received, per hundredweight of milk, by dairy operations for all milk sold to dairy plants and milk dealers in the United States, as determined by the Secretary.

AMS means the Agricultural Marketing Service of USDA.

Annual election period for DMC means the period, each calendar year, established by the Deputy Administrator, for a dairy operation to register to participate in DMC for the following coverage year, pay associated administrative fees, and make coverage elections for an applicable calendar year.

Average feed cost means the national average cost of feed used by a dairy operation to produce a hundredweight of milk, as determined under the provisions of this subpart.

Beginning farmer or rancher means an individual or entity who has both not operated a farm or ranch, or who has operated a farm or ranch for not more than 10 consecutive years; and materially and substantially participates in the operation of the farm or ranch. For legal entities to be considered a beginning farmer or rancher, all members must be related by blood or marriage; and all the members must be beginning farmers or ranchers.

Buy up coverage means dairy margin coverage for a margin protection level above $4 per hundredweight of milk.

Calendar year means the year beginning with January 1 and ending the following December 31.

Catastrophic level coverage means $4 per cwt margin protection coverage and a coverage percentage of 95 percent, with no premium assessed.

CCC means the Commodity Credit Corporation of USDA.

Commercially marketed means selling whole milk to either the market to which the dairy operation normally delivers or other similar markets and receives monetary compensation.

Contract means the terms and conditions to participate in the DMC Program as executed on a form prescribed by CCC and required to be completed by the producers in the dairy operation and accepted by CCC, including any contract modifications made in an annual election period before coverage for the applicable calendar year commences.

Covered production history is equal to the production history of the operation multiplied by the coverage percentage selected by the participating dairy operation.

County committee means the FSA county committee.

County office means the FSA office responsible for administering FSA programs for farms located in a specific area in a state.

Dairy margin coverage (or DMC) means the dairy margin coverage program for dairy producers established under this subpart.

Dairy margin coverage payment (DMC payment) means a payment made to a participating dairy operation under the DMC Program under the terms of this subpart.

Dairy operation means, as determined by the Deputy Administrator, and subject to conditions that the Deputy Administrator may impose to advance the achievement of the purposes of the DMC Program, any one or more dairy producers that produce and market milk commercially produced from cows as a single unit in which each dairy producer:

(1) Shares in the pooling of resources under a common ownership structure;

(2) Is at risk in the production of milk in the dairy operation;

(3) Contributes land, labor, management, equipment, or capital to the dairy operation that are at least commensurate to the producer's share in the operation; and

(4) Has production facilities located in the United States.

Deputy Administrator means the Deputy Administrator for Farm Programs, Farm Service Agency, or designee.

Farm Service Agency or FSA means the Farm Service Agency of USDA.

Handler or producer handler means the initial individual or entity making payment to a dairy operation for milk produced in the United States and marketed for commercial use.

Hundredweight or cwt means 100 pounds.

Limited resource farmer or rancher means a farmer or rancher that is a person with both:

(1) Direct or indirect gross farm sales not more than an amount determined by FSA in each of the previous 2 years; and

(2) A total household income at or below the national poverty level for a family of four or less than 50 percent of county median household income in each of the previous 2 years.

Milk Income Loss Contract Program or MILC means the program established under section 1506 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 8773) and the regulations in part 1430, subpart B of this part.

Milk marketing means a sale of milk for which there is a verifiable production record for milk commercially marketed.

NASS means the National Agricultural Statistics Service of USDA.

New operation means a dairy operation that:

(1) Did not establish a production history under the MPP-Dairy;

(2) Has less than 12 full months in a calendar year of commercial milk marketings produced by the dairy operation; and

(3) Started commercially marketing milk within 60 days of submitting a contract application under DMC.

Open enrollment period for DMC means the period, each calendar year, established by the Deputy Administrator, for a participating dairy operation to either register to participate in the DMC Program, pay associated administrative fees, if applicable, and applicable premiums, or to make annual coverage elections for an applicable calendar year of participation.

Participating dairy operation means a dairy operation that signs up to participate in the DMC Program under this part.

Producer means any individual, group of individuals, partnership, corporation, estate, trust, association, cooperative, or other business enterprise or other legal entity who is, or whose members are, a citizen of, or legal resident alien in the United States, and who directly, or indirectly:

(1) Shares in the risk of producing milk, and

(2) Makes contributions including land, labor, management, equipment, or capital:

(i) To the dairy operation at least commensurate to the producer's share of the operation, or

(ii) To the dairy operation of the individual or entity, as determined by the Deputy Administrator.

Production history means the production history determined for a participating dairy operation under this subpart when the participating dairy operation first registers to participate in DMC or previously established under MPP-Dairy, as determined under the provisions of this subpart.

RMA means the Risk Management Agency of USDA.

Secretary means the Secretary of USDA.

Socially disadvantaged farmer or rancher means a farmer or rancher who is a member of a group whose members have been subject to racial, ethnic, or gender prejudice because of their identity as members of a group without regard to their individual qualities. Groups include: American Indians or Alaskan Natives, Asians or Asian Americans, Blacks or African Americans, Native Hawaiians or other Pacific Islanders, Hispanics, and women. For legal entities requesting to be considered Socially Disadvantaged, the majority interest must be held by socially disadvantaged individuals.

United States means, unless the context suggests otherwise, the 50 States of the United States of America, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands of the United States, and any other territory or possession of the United States.

USDA means the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Verifiable production records means evidence that is used to substantiate the amount of production marketed and that can be verified by CCC through an independent source.

Veteran farmer or rancher means a person who has served in the United States Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard, including the reserve components, and who has not operated a farm or ranch; has operated a farm or ranch but not for more than 10 years total, since becoming a veteran; or has obtained status as a veteran during the most recent 10-year period. A legal entity or joint operation will be considered a veteran farmer or rancher entity, if all members meet this definition.