June 10

USDA will begin mailing checks next week worth a total of $200 million to dairy farmers. Payments are based on 1997 or 1998 milk production and are limited to the first 26,000 cwt. of production in the selected year.

The payment limitation on the hundredweight basis was imposed "so as not to dilute the assistance available to smaller dairy farmers who may be in the most need of the assistance and to spread the payments more equitably among all dairy operations."

Data from the April 12-May 21 signup still are being collected. When that process is complete, the payment rate for eligible production will be calculated and payments distributed.