Dairy cull cows marketed through U.S. slaughter plants in April lowest since 2006.

The May Feed Outlook report shows record-high 2025-26 U.S. corn supplies support elevated corn exports. U.S. old and new corn crop export forecasts are both raised this month on increased price competitiveness and the slower-than-expected pace of shipments from Argentina and Brazil.

Eighteen states including Texas, Idaho and Kansas boosted milk production a combined 387 million pounds in April.

In news relating to dairy farmers in mid-May 2025, the House Ag Committee passes reconciliation bill to cut SNAP and enhance farm safety net programs. Also, the USDA opens CRP enrollment and plans to survey producers in June.

The May World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report (WASDE) showed the 2025-26 U.S. corn outlook is for record supplies and total use, and higher ending stocks. The corn crop is projected at 15.8 billion bushels, up 6% from a year ago on increases to both area and yield.

The USDA’s World Ag Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report offers forecasts for dairy, beef and feedstuffs.

First-quarter dairy product exports ended on a positive note, with volume growing 3% in March. As the first three months of 2025 trailed just 0.5% behind 2024 volume, the value over the same period grew 14%, marking a first-quarter record at $2.3 billion. Here’s Progressive Dairy’s 30,000-foot look at dairy-related export categories.

March’s margin was $11.55 per hundredweight (cwt), the result of a relatively stable feed cost but sinking all-milk price as then-talks of a looming trade war pressured the export market while domestic consumer spending cooled at the same time.

The Cattle on Feed report released April 17 by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) showed 11.6 million head of cattle being fed for the slaughter market in the U.S., down 2% from April 2024.