Industry News

Digest Highlights

• California quota program sunset proposal forwarded to CDFA
• Bills give FDA access to CAFOs for microbial sampling
• 133 milk donation partnerships approved
• USDA buys dairy products
• ‘Sustainability’ seen as market competitiveness requirement
• January Class III price weakens
• HP Hood, Upstate Niagara purchase land for expansions
• California offers methane reduction program grants
• South Dakota dairies partner on digester project
• FarmFirst Dairy annual meeting features workshop series

Of the many inaccurate arguments misattributed to dairy in the debate over imitation-product labeling, one of the most persistent is that “Big Dairy says consumers are confused about what milk is” – a statement that tries to turn a public-health issue into a debate on respect for consumer intelligence.

The USDA’s February World Ag Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report left the 2020 milk production estimate unchanged but lowered projected milk prices somewhat across the board.

A strong finish helped propel the value of 2019 U.S. dairy product exports above $6 billion for the first time since 2014, and alfalfa hay exports set a new all-time annual high despite lower sales to China.

You’re busy milking cows, squeezing in a final extension meeting or two and wondering if your manure lagoon is big enough. With that in mind, Progressive Dairy looks at issues in the news impacting you and your dairy business.

Milk quality monitored in three of four Federal Milk Marketing Orders (FMMOs) improved in 2018, according to an update from the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).