The election for Farm Service Agency county committee members to represent producers in Local Administrative Areas (LAA) 1 and 5 was Dec. 4 with the following results:

Elected for a 3-year term in LAA 1 was: Richard W. Stuchal as the committee member, Randal G. Smith as first alternate. LAA 1 in Butler County consists of Mercer, Slippery Rock, Marion, Venango, Allegheny, Parker, Washington, Brady, Worth, Cherry, Clay, Concord and Fairview townships.

Elected for a 3-year term in LAA 5 was: John H. Scott as the committee member and Thomas Mischen as first alternate. LAA 5 in Beaver County consists of Greene, Potter, Raccoon, Center, Hanover, Independence, Hopewell Townships and all of Allegheny County.

FSA committee members are responsible for administering FSA programs in Butler, Beaver and Allegheny Counties. They are paid for their time and mileage expenses.

Alternates are called upon for committee meetings and other assignments when the regular member is unable to attend. A locally elected FSA committee serves each agricultural county in the nation.

Meetings are open to the public and are held at least quarterly, sometimes more often, depending on program demand. The Butler-Beaver-Allegheny FSA office is staffed by four employees who conduct day to day operations for the committee.

The application deadline for the dairy Margin Protection Program (MPP) will be extended until Dec. 19.

The program, established by the 2014 Farm Bill, protects participating dairy producers when the margin — the difference between the price of milk and feed costs — falls below levels of protection selected by the applicant.

For just $100, a farmer can cover 90 percent of production at $4 margin swings, and with affordable incremental premiums, dairy farmers can cover up to $8 margin swings.

Those who apply this year will receive a slight increase in production protection that will not be available in the future.

Farmers who do not sign up for the Margin Protection Program for 2015 will forfeit the 1 percent base production increase.

Producers can use the online Web resource at www.fsa.usda.gov/mpptool to calculate the best levels of coverage for their dairy operation. They can type in specific operation data and explore price projections and market scenarios to determine what level of coverage is best for them.

The online resource is on a secure website that can be accessed from computers, mobile phones or tablets, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Farmers also have a chance to share comments and help shape the Margin Protection Program for the future.

Last month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the extension of the opportunity for public comments on both the Margin Protection Program and the Dairy Product Donation Program until Dec. 15. Comments can be submitted to USDA via the regulations.gov website at http://go.usa.gov/GJSA or send them by mail to: Danielle Cooke, Special Programs Manager, Price Support Division, FSA, USDA, STOP 0512, 1400 Independence Ave. SW, Washington, D.C., 20250-0512.

To learn more about the Margin Protection Program for dairy, contact your local USDA Farm Service Agency county office at offices.usda.gov or visit us on the Web at www.fsa.usda.gov.

Luke Fritz is executive director of the Butler County Farm Service Agency.