Dairy
12Apr

House Farm Bill Includes Several Major Changes for Dairy

Despite modifications to the dairy safety net earlier this year, the House version of the Farm Bill, which was released on Thursday, modifies the programs further. In addition to modifying the safety net program, the House draft changes to the formula used to calculate Class I milk prices. According to Pro Farmer policy analyst Jim Wiesemeyer, several changes were made to the dairy safety net including the following: Changes the name from Margin Protection Program for Dairy Producers to Dairy Risk Management...

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27Mar

Dairy Farmers Forced to Fight as Prices Struggle

For Johnson County, Ind. farmer Joe Kelsay, it's not just another day on the farm. He's continuing to pump milk while a cloud of uncertainty hangs over his farm. "Right now it's a bit difficult to be a dairy farmer," said Kelsay, standing in his milking parlor. As a fifth-generation dairy farmer, his job just became even more difficult. He was notified in February from Dean Foods that he has 90 days to find a new home for his milk "It was a...

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07Mar

Milk Prices to Face Strong Headwinds This Spring

There seem to be two theories swirling around farm country right now. One says milk prices will come back up by the end of the quarter, the other is that they stay suppressed. Mike North of Commodity Risk Management says milk prices will face strong headwinds throughout the spring. “The reality is we have a lot of milk and it's not just a U.S. story,” he told AgDay host Clinton Griffiths. “We've watched, you know, year over year growth for the...

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30Jan

Changing Export Dynamics Affect U.S. Milk Prices

Growing milk production worldwide and increased competition for export sales all point to a bleak six-month forecast for milk prices. Key to this price outlook are changing trade dynamics, particularly with Canada’s aggressive approach to dairy protein exports with its Class 7 program. Third quarter 2017 U.S. exports of skim milk powder were down nearly 26,000 metric tons, or about 16%. Whole milk powder exports were off 10%, and whey protein concentrate and isolate exports were down 5%. The only positive...

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19Jan

California Dairy Farmers Seek Emergency Milk Price Increase

Western United Dairymen (WUD) and the California Dairy Campaign (CDC) have petitioned the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) for an emergency hearing to increase over-base milk prices by about 35¢/cwt for the next 12 months. CDFA has 15 days in which to grant or deny the petition for hearing. “The significant negative margins witnessed every quarter since January 2015 have placed many producers in a dire financial situation,” says Annie AcMoody, WUD director of economic analysis in WUD’s January...

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