Industry News

Like their counterparts throughout the U.S., the COVID-19 pandemic forced a pivot in the Mid-Atlantic regional dairy supply chain, from the farm to the store shelf. Panelists shared their business and personal experiences during the sixth annual Agriculture Law Education Initiative (ALEI) environmental and agricultural law conference, held virtually and livestreamed on Facebook in early November. The archived session, “Pivoting in a Pandemic: Risk Management during COVID-19,” is available here.

As the number of cases of COVID-19 escalates this fall, the impact on milk marketing resulted in another surge of negative producer price differentials (PPDs) in affected Federal Milk Marketing Orders (FMMOs).

The USDA’s November World Ag Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report raised milk production and price forecasts for both 2020 and 2021. For dairy producers, those milk price gains will likely be offset by higher projected feed costs.

The growth rate slowed, but September 2020 marked the 13th consecutive month that U.S. dairy exports were higher than the corresponding month a year earlier, according to a monthly update from the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC). Here’s a look at the topline numbers:

Digest Highlights

• Dairy promotions part of Veterans Day recognition
• DMC enrollment continues on slow pace
• CFAP payment updates
• Wisconsin groups push back on anti-CAFO resolution
• Washington: Ruling grants farmworkers right to overtime pay

When the generational goals of a dairy farm family meet the policy targets of government regulators, the result doesn’t necessarily have to mean a collision.