Bought Milk? Today's the Deadline to Claim Your Settlement Money

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Modern Farmer reminds us that today is the last day to claim your fair share of the settlement of the Fresh Milk Products Antitrust Litigation. If you bought milk or other fresh dairy products — cream, half-and-half, cottage cheese, etc. — any time between 2003 and 2010, and lived in a handful of U.S. States, you're entitled to a $5 to $15 refund. All told, the settlement is worth $52 million.

How to Claim Your Money

First of all, you have to be a resident of a handful of U.S. states: Arizona, California, the District of Columbia, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, West Virginia, or Wisconsin.

Next, you have to have purchased milk or other fresh dairy products between 2003 and 2010. Don't worry, you don't need to provide receipts or box labels as proof of purchase. Just be honest about your dairy purchases seven or more years ago, and you're good to go.

All the details are available at the settlement website: BoughtMilk.com. Act fast, though! The deadline to claim your refund is midnight tonight, January 31.

What's the Settlement for, Anyway?

Back in September, 2016, the dairy lobbying group National Milk Producers Federation and a bunch of dairy cooperatives settled a lawsuit that claimed the Federation and the dairies oversaw a herd retirement program that sent hundreds of thousands of dairy cows to early slaughter. (Usually, only "spent" dairy cows are sent to slaughter to be ground up into low cost ground beef.) The early retirement had the effect of reducing the supply of milk — and thus increasing prices on milk and fresh dairy products.

The industry denies any wrongdoing, although the numbers are pretty clear: The program, whether intentional or not, boosted milk prices by about five cents a gallon.