Industry News

You’re busy – milking cows, managing employees and preparing year-end financials. With that in mind, Progressive Dairyman looks at issues in the news impacting you and your dairy business. In recognition of your time, we’ll attempt to summarize recent events or actions making dairy headlines and reported in our weekly digital newsletter, Progressive Dairyman Extra. Then, we’ll try to put that news into perspective and briefly describe how it might affect you.

October 2018 U.S. milk production increased less than 1 percent from the same month a year earlier, as cow numbers dropped to their lowest level since February 2017. With October’s estimate, U.S. milk production growth has now been under 1 percent in four of 10 months in 2018, according to USDA’s monthly Milk Production report, released Nov. 19.

Digest Highlights

• Interest rates move to seven-year high
• Farm wages on the rise
• September fluid sales falter
• STATES: Dairy students may qualify for UW – Madison’s ‘Bucky’s Tuition Promise’
• DFA opens ‘The Creamery’ retail store in Utah
• POLICY: USMCA welcomed, but dairy concerns remain
• FDA extends plant-based label comment period
• USDA, FDA to collaborate on cell-cultured livestock, poultry product regulation

The number of U.S. farms restructuring debt by filing Chapter 12 bankruptcy in the past year was lower than a year earlier. However, filings were higher in regions most heavily dependent on dairy and row crops for income.

Digest Highlights

• Dairy-RP activity tops 2.6 billion pounds of milk
• INDUSTRY: FDA approves Experior for reduction of ammonia gas released from beef cattle manure
• Chobani launches campaign to benefit military veterans
• Prairie Farms to add baghouse to Iowa plant, pays penalty
• Saputo enters ultrafiltered milk market with JOYYA
• Kraft Heinz Canada selling natural cheese business to Parmalat
• Darigold names Garth to financial post
• Dean Foods holds quarterly investor call
• POLICY: FarmFirst asks USDA to increase trade mitigation payments for dairy
• Groups endorse agribusiness merger moratorium bills
• STATES: WSDA awards dairy nutrient management grants
• Michigan dairy promotion award nominees sought
• CDE offers dairy advisory team grants
• Minnesota Milk hosting annual Dairy Conference and Expo