News

Legislation prohibiting mislabeling of nondairy foods has been reintroduced in both houses of Congress. The legislation enhances efforts to encourage the FDA to enforce labeling regulations for plant-based imitators of milk, cheese, butter and other products.

Digest Highlights

• Dairy-RP coverage nears 20 billion pounds of milk
• Proposal extends H2-A visa program to dairy
• Cattle TB found on Texas dairy and calf-raising operation
• Georgia will be added as ‘major’ dairy state
• MMPA makes Michigan food bank donations
• University of Florida raising funds to renovate dairy farm
• Minnesota offers dairy farm improvement grants
• Value-added dairy education opportunities coming to Wisconsin
• Zoetis launches genomic test for Jerseys
• Animart merges with Animal Profiling Inc.

January 2019 U.S. milk production continued a four-month streak in which year-over-year growth was less than 1 percent. However, while cow numbers were down from a year ago, the U.S. dairy herd increased about 2,000 head from December, ending a string of seven straight months of contraction.

U.S. dairy exports reached record-high levels in 2018 but volumes slumped in the final months of the year, according to a monthly summary from the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC). Exports were down 11 percent in the fourth quarter after posting a 16 percent increase in the first three quarters.

For the first time since 2013-14, the size of the U.S. dairy herd started a new year with fewer cows and heifers than the year before. The downturn is due to heavy cull cow slaughter and a small decline in replacement heifers.