In the news affecting dairy producers' bottom lines the first full week of October 2025: U.S. government shutdown hits day nine, NEXT assists with nearly 80 million pounds of dairy product export sales, and the USDEC advances trade between Taiwan and Indonesia.

The USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) released its Agricultural Prices report Sept. 30, which includes feed costs and milk prices used to calculate the August Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) program margins and indemnity payments. August’s margin was $11.52 per hundredweight (cwt) as a result of corn prices falling more than a quarter and milk prices rising a dime.

As the clock struck midnight and the calendar turned from September to October, the U.S. government officially shut down, with the Senate unable to strike any sort of budget compromise.

In dairy-related news as we near the end of September 2025: The USDA issues second economic assistance payment to farmers; ADM, Alltech join together in new North American animal feed venture; CoBank looks at the U.S. butterfat boom; Darigold names Amy Humphreys chief executive officer; and Skylar Diggins debuts puffer jacket made with milk.

A new case of New World screwworm (NWS) in Sabinas Hidalgo, located in the state of Nuevo León, less than 70 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border, was detected on Sept. 21, 2025.

As fall arrives and a new month approaches, the dairy industry is buzzing with concern over falling milk prices as domestic supply flows with strong outputs of butter and cheese, and exports remain strong, particularly with cheese products turning out record volumes month over month.

In dairy-related news the second week of September 2025: Legislation introduced to safeguard farmers’ privacy and protect USDA data, Danone announces Ohio yogurt plant expansion, Milk’s Got Game returns, and 2025 Expo en Español topics are outlined.