Industry News

The USDA’s latest Milk Production latest report was released on March 18, providing preliminary February estimates and revised January totals. When compared to last year, February 2021 U.S. and major dairy state average milk production and milk output per cow estimates come with asterisks: 2021 estimates must be adjusted due to a “leap day” in 2020.

Digest Highlights

• Land O’Lakes to conduct intensive on-farm sustainability assessments
• Texas: Milk production recovering but cow culling is up
• Global Dairy Trade index slips
• Bill would bring whole milk back to school
• FAPRI offers a 10-year dairy outlook
• USDA solicits bids for cheese
• NASDA urges changes to ‘food box’ program

With preparation for spring planting either starting or about to get underway, don’t forget to set aside time for dairy risk management planning. Here’s a monthly reminder from Progressive Dairy.

February’s Federal Milk Marketing Order (FMMO) uniform prices and producer price differentials (PPDs) weren’t markedly different from a month earlier, based on market administrator reports released the week of March 8.

In this column, Progressive Dairy summarizes issues in the news and attempts to describe how they might affect dairy farmers. Look for more extensive background and details at Progressive Dairy.

The farmer-funded National Dairy Council participates in every public process around the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA), providing science-based evidence on dairy’s role in healthy dietary patterns.