All USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices nationwide will soon reopen to provide additional administrative services to farmers during the lapse in federal funding and partial government shutdown, according to U.S. Secretary of Ag Sonny Perdue.

Digest Highlights

• Dairy herd contraction likely in 2019
• Class I base price marginally better
• Global Dairy Trade index jumps
• Margins start January weaker, but there are signs of optimism
• Cottonseed seeing renewed export, dairy interest
• STATES: Judge rules against Wisconsin dairy regulatory settlement
• New York OSHA inspections of dairy farms to continue
• Wisconsin sets CAFO meetings
• INDUSTRY: Dairy aisle coming to online shopping
• Environmental impact of Canadian milk production improves

With the ongoing partial government shutdown and debate over a border wall, proposal to create a “blue card” program for improperly documented dairy and other ag workers and protect them against deportation has been introduced in both houses of Congress.

Like the stories of many Midwest dairy farm families, the Benthems’ history is one of steady growth and improvement, focused on quality while adopting technology, with family at the center of the circle and a vision of creating room in the business for future generations. Benthem Brothers Inc. of McBain, Michigan, was featured in a virtual tour during the 2018 World Dairy Expo.

Part of a nutritionist’s job is to give recommendations for the target level of refusals needed for maximum profitability. A typical goal is 2 to 5 percent, but this varies a lot from farm to farm, with a few farms even having a goal of zero refusals.

An opportunity for capturing higher profits may be hiding in a herd’s voluntary waiting period (VWP).

“With better control of when cows get pregnant, you can then control the timing of the pregnancies to when cows make you the most money.”