The USDA released its latest Ag Prices report on Feb. 28, including factors used to calculate January 2023 DMC margins and indemnity payments.

The U.S. Department of Labor on Feb. 27 announced it would publish a final rule to amend how the adverse effect wage rates for the H-2A program are set to improve the rates’ consistency and accuracy based on the actual work performed by H-2A workers and to better prevent their employment negatively affecting the wages of similarly employed U.S. workers.

Following the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) proposed guidance allowing plant-based beverages to use "milk” in labels and marketing, multiple dairy state lawmakers have introduced a bill to nullify it.

January 2023 U.S. milk production growth picked up the pace as both cow numbers and milk output per cow increased.

The total number of all cattle and calves on Jan. 1, 2023, was estimated at 89.3 million head, about 2.8 million fewer than the previous year. This marks the fourth year of contraction for aggregate beef and dairy cattle inventories, in the ninth year of the current cattle cycle – the cyclical expansion and contraction of the national cattle herd over time.

• 2023 DMC milk enrollment percentage up
• House farm bill hearing held at World Ag Expo
• Gillibrand announces 2023 Farm Bill dairy priorities
• Coming up

The latest USDA Cattle Inventory report, released on Jan. 31, confirmed another year of contraction in the beef cattle industry.

The USDA’s monthly World Ag Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report, released Feb. 8, reduced both 2022 and 2023 U.S. milk production estimates from last month, but also cut 2023 price projections.

October 2022 “mailbox” prices averaged about $1.04 per cwt less than announced average “all-milk” price for the same month.