Industry News

With its heavy dependence on the fluid milk market, no part of the country is a bigger cauldron of emotion than the Southeast.

Lynda Foster operates a 180-cow, Lely robot dairy with her family near Fort Scott, Kansas. A member of Dairy Farmers of America (and Progressive Dairy’s editorial adviser board), she admits to being an eternal optimist.

The two dairy behemoths on the opposite ends of the Southwest – Texas and California – have been on somewhat divergent paths over the past couple of years. Entering 2019, however, producers in both states share some common economic concerns.

The improved outlook for milk prices in 2020 is providing some degree of optimism for producers, mixed with a sense of relief, according to Chris Laughton, Farm Credit East’s director of Knowledge Exchange.

“Apprehensive” is the best term to describe the mood of dairy producers in Idaho, according to Rick Naerebout, chief executive officer of the Idaho Dairymen’s Association.

Editor's note: This article has been updated from the original version to include additional comments from Dairy Farmers of America.

Numerous U.S. dairy cooperatives have filed court documents objecting to a Dean Foods bankruptcy proceeding motion related to the sale of a majority of assets to Dairy Farmers of America (DFA).