News

The dairy outlook presented by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) as part of its annual Agricultural Outlook Forum in late February contained some dismal forecasts.

“This is a challenging time for the dairy sector,” said Dairy Analyst Roger Hoskin of USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS).

The Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin’s (PDPW) Annual Business Conference, March 17-18, in Madison, Wisconsin, fulfilled its theme by “Adding Passion, Multiplying Profits.”

More than 1,100 producers gathered from across the U.S. for the two-day event. Together they faced their challenges head-on, discussed solutions and walked away with a proactive approach to the future.

Producers who made the trip to the bi-annual Western Dairy Management Conference in Reno, Nevada, last month had two things on their minds – depressed milk prices and how long they would last. More than 25 presenters addressed visitors during the three-day conference, and in one way or another, each spoke to producers’ economic concerns during presentations or after while fielding their questions.

On March 27-28, the Empire State hosted 124 students from the top dairy programs in the U.S. and Canada as they competed in the North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge. The 31 schools were divided up on four dairies in the Finger Lakes region: Elmer Richards and Sons Farm, Twin Birch Dairy, Venture Farms and Currie Valley Dairy.

Dana Brooks
Senior Director for Government Relations at National Milk Producers Federation in Arlington, Virginia