Payments are made to a participating dairy operation as specified in this subpart only when, for a consecutive 2-month period, the calculated average actual dairy production margin is below the coverage level in effect for the participating dairy operation. That margin will be calculated on a national basis and is the amount by which for the relevant consecutive 2-month period, the all milk price exceeds the average feed cost for dairy producers. All calculations will be made on a per cwt basis. The average actual dairy production margin calculation applies to all participating dairy operations. The calculations are not made on an operation by operation basis or on their marketings.

For calculating the national average feed cost that dairy operations use to produce a cwt of milk, the following three items will be added together:

The product determined by multiplying 1.0728 by the price of corn per bushel;

The product determined by multiplying 0.00735 by the price of soybean meal per ton; and

The product determined by multiplying 0.0137 by the price of alfalfa hay per ton.

To make those feed calculations, the Deputy Administrator on behalf of CCC will use the following full month data:

For corn, the full month price received by farmers during the month in the United States as reported in the monthly Agricultural Prices report by USDA NASS;

For soybean meal, the Central Illinois soybean meal price delivered by rail as reported in the USDA AMS Market News-Monthly; and

For alfalfa hay, the full month price received during the month by farmers in the United States for alfalfa hay as reported in the monthly Agricultural Prices report by USDA NASS.

The national average feed cost data for corn, soybean meal, and alfalfa hay used in the calculation of the national average feed cost to determine the actual dairy production margin for the relevant period, will be the data reported in the publication the following month. (For example, preliminary May prices for corn and soybean meal were reported in the May Agricultural Prices publication but full month May prices will be available in the June publication, and those will be the prices used).

The actual dairy production margin for each consecutive 2-month period, will be calculated by subtracting:

The average feed cost for that consecutive 2-month period, determined under paragraph (b) of this section; from

The all-milk price for that consecutive 2-month period.