Dairy Industry Blog Posts

Are You Choosing MPP or LGM for 2018?

With 2017 about to be over, producers have a few weeks to decide if they want to re-enroll in the Margin Protection Program for Dairy or go for the Livestock Gross Margin insurance program instead. Just in case producers have had their heads buried in managing their operations this year, Sonny Perdue, who is the [...]

2017-11-17T14:19:40-06:00November 17th, 2017|

Are You Going To Stay Or Sell Out?

The dairy industry, much like any other industry, has gone through a lot of tough times, especially in the last few years. A lot of small to mid-sized operations have gone “belly up,” but not without a fight. With the way the industry is going, there are still a few small operations that doggedly refuse [...]

2017-11-06T09:58:29-06:00November 6th, 2017|

Holstein Sire Evaluations to Change by April 2018

Holstein sire evaluations will change by April 2018, according to an article I read in Dairy Herd Management. There will be six health traits added. These are ketosis, metritis, hypocalcemia, retained placentas, and displaced abosamus, in no particular order. These evaluations are being present as percentages. A higher positive value will indicate greater resistance than [...]

2017-10-25T15:49:02-05:00October 25th, 2017|

Increased Processing to Match U.S. Milk Output

The rate of U.S. milk production increases by 3 billion pounds each year, based on an article from The Dairy Site. The milk yield has grown so much that producers are having difficulty coping with processing. Ben Laine, who is a Cobank senior dairy economist, claims that dairy processors have to handle an ever-growing supply [...]

2017-09-29T08:53:26-05:00September 29th, 2017|

The Dairy State Helps the Lone Star State

The Dairy State Helps the Lone Star State Hurricane Harvey did quite a number on Texas. It is said to be one of the worst U.S. natural disasters in recorded history, according to an article on Forbes. Due to the severity of the flooding, many stores had to close down. Luckily, according to The Bullvine, [...]

2017-09-21T09:07:49-05:00September 21st, 2017|

The U.S. Ag Slump: Can We Go Any Lower?

The U.S. Ag Slump: Can We Go Any Lower? Once you hit rock bottom, be happy because there’s nowhere to go but up. That might be the motto of the Ag industry these days. An article in Farm Journal’s MILK states that the forecast of the U.S. farmer net income is expected to rise this [...]

2017-09-12T13:24:28-05:00September 12th, 2017|

Three-Year High for Dairy Exports

There’s nowhere to go but up, at least if you’re in the dairy industry. The slow-moving but steady upward trend of milk prices are welcome news to producers all over the USA. There’s even better news from the USDEC, according to an article in Progressive Dairyman. The U.S. Dairy Export Council’s monthly summary report states [...]

2017-08-31T13:25:36-05:00August 31st, 2017|

June 2017’s MPP-Dairy Calculations Are Here

The Monthly Protection Program for Dairy calculations (MPP-Dairy) from the USDA have come in. I came across an article from Progressive Dairyman and the calculations show that there has been a slight improvement in June. Milk is up by 60 cents, compared to May 2017 prices. As of June 2017, the average U.S. milk price [...]

2017-08-24T12:26:23-05:00August 24th, 2017|

The Mineral That Helps With Anaplasmosis

Anaplasmosis is a serious condition that usually affects mature cows and bulls between summer and the early part of fall. While this disease is more common in the southern areas, the increase in cattle movement in the last decade has caused it to spread northward I found an article on The Dairy Site that talks about [...]

2017-08-01T17:03:49-05:00August 1st, 2017|

University of Illinois Study: Methionine For Dairy Cows

I was browsing through Dairy Herd Management when I found an article about the benefits of adding methionine to the Holstein cow diet. I thought it would be beneficial to our readers who have dairy cows. According to research performed by the University of Illinois, adding methionine to the diet of Holstein cows could enhance [...]

2017-04-24T11:11:04-05:00April 24th, 2017|