This final rule sets forth the regulations for the Dairy Market Loss Assistance Program as authorized by the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1999 (``the 1999 Act''). Eligible dairy producers may receive a direct payment on the first 26,000 hundredweight (cwt) of milk marketed commercially during the 1997 or 1998 calendar year. The payment per cwt will depend upon the amount of the eligible milk production under the program. This action is designed to provide immediate financial assistance to producers of dairy operations who recently experienced a severe decline in the price received for their milk.