Industry News

You’re busy – milking cows, managing employees and getting ready for spring. With that in mind, Progressive Dairyman looks at issues in the news impacting you and your dairy business.

Last summer, I read an article in Inc. magazine titled “You’ll never train in vain” by Leigh Buchanan, and it made me wonder if dairies agreed with that premise. With a tight dairy labor market, I wondered if owners perceive training as a way to bolster their labor force.

Editor's note: This original version of this article was updated to include indemnity and premium calculations.

The USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) announced the January 2019 income over feed cost margin was $7.99 per hundredweight (cwt), triggering the first payment for eligible dairy producers who purchase the appropriate level of coverage under the new but yet to be established Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) program. The payment isn't expected until July.

Digest Highlights

• 2018 dairy cow slaughter highest in three decades 
• Dean Foods considering business options
• Renewable Dairy Fuels expands at Fair Oaks Farms
• GI cheese name restrictions mean severe economic consequences to U.S. dairy
• February Class IV price improves
• Idaho company plans large aseptic milk facility
• Pennsylvania farm bill includes focus on dairy
• Minnesota program offers cash flow loans
• Dairy Forward Pricing Program reauthorized

USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue laid out a tentative timeline for implementation of the new Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) program before a recent House Ag Committee meeting. Dairy farmers enrolling in the program will likely see the first indemnity payments in early July.

Tom Vilsack, president and chief executive officer of the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC), updated dairy producers and industry representatives on dairy export efforts during the Western Dairy Management Conference on Feb. 26 in Reno, Nevada.