Digest Highlights

• Proposal creates dairy pricing and policy commission
• NMPF launches ‘natural disaster’ dairy resource page
• Kraft selling majority of cheese businesses to Lactalis
• Turkey Hill Clean Water Partnership receives EPA grant
• California: Pre-coronavirus fluid milk sales summarized
• Progressive Dairy COVID-19 resources

Editor's note: The original article has been edited to clear up information on the dairy payment rate.

Details of a second Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP 2) have been announced. For dairy producers, direct payments will equal $1.20 per hundredweight (cwt) on eligible milk production for the last nine months of 2020.

U.S. milk production continued to build in August, up 1.8% from a year earlier, according to the USDA’s preliminary monthly Milk Production report, released Sept. 17.

In addition, July 2020 production was revised upward about 0.5% (91 million pounds) from last month’s preliminary estimate, pushing total U.S. output up 2% from July 2019.

About two years ago, right before the leaves turned, I jumped on a bus for three days with 200 dairy farmers from around the world as part of the ABS Global Experience.

Bloating in calves under 3 weeks old is usually caused by accumulating gas in their abomasum. This is a high-mortality-rate disease (usually over 60%) that happens quickly (usually within 24 hours).

“They either catch on or they don’t.” Those were the words from a farm manager when asked to share with me his new employee training technique.