Industry News

Update highlights

• Class III-IV milk prices continue to climb
• Dairy cull cow marketing remains slower
• Cull cow prices jump
• 2022 hay acreage could be smallest since 1907
• Soybean acreage expected to grow
• Corn, soybean stocks larger
• USDA to begin payments to livestock producers impacted by drought, wildfire

Escalating feed costs ate into milk income margins in February but not enough to trigger indemnity payments under the Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) program.

Progressive Dairy provides updates on dairy-related organizations and companies, compiled from staff news sources and industry press releases. Email industry and organization news to Progressive Dairy Editor Jenna Hurty.

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 USDA has released a long-awaited “origin of livestock” final rule establishing uniform standards for transitioning dairy cattle to organic production. The rule closes what many in the industry considered a “loophole” creating unfair organic marketing practices.

Editor's note: This article has been updated to include "mailbox" price data from the USDA.

Full-year 2021 weighted average “mailbox” prices averaged about $1 per hundredweight (cwt) less than announced average “all-milk” prices for the same period, based on a review of two USDA milk price announcements.