Source: POLITICO' S MORNING AGRICULTURE, 2/28/19

The USDA chief joins the Senate Agriculture Committee at 9:30 a.m. for a hearing on farm bill implementation. It's the second stop on Perdue's Hill tour after a wide-ranging appearance Wednesday before the House Agriculture panel, where he laid out new details of USDA's timeline for standing up the 2018 law, H.R. 2 (115).

Dairy on deck: Perdue revealed that USDA expects the new Dairy Margin Coverage program will be ready for producers to start signing up on June 17, and payments could begin to flow by July 8, our Catherine Boudreau reports.

— Refunds for producers: USDA will finalize by April another farm bill provision authorizing refunds to dairy producers for a portion of the premiums they paid into the old Margin Protection Program, he predicted.

— More target dates: Corn, soybean, wheat and other growers will be able to sign up for Agricultural Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage starting Sept. 1, Perdue said. And he's eyeing Dec. 1 for general enrollment in the Conservation Reserve Program.

Hemp day: As for industrial hemp production, which was legalized under the farm bill, Perdue doesn't think USDA will have "definitive rules" in place until the 2020 planting season. "We'll proceed slowly and make sure we don't have another situation where productive farmers overcompensate and blow out the market before it can get started," he said.

— Related: There's also been a lot of regulatory confusion lately about cannabidiol, or CBD. FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb told House appropriators on Wednesday the agency will host a public meeting in April as it works to develop a clear framework for the industry.