Tom Barcellos is the owner of T-Bar Dairy in Tipton, California, in the drought-baked Central Valley region. T-Bar Dairy is an 800-cow dairy, and Barcellos farms 1,800 acres under the Barcellos Farms label. He is also a member of the board of the Lower Tule River Irrigation District and president of Western United Dairymen.

While CWT-assisted exports of cheese and butter were down slightly in the third quarter of 2014, compared to the same period in 2013, whole milk powder exports registered a significant increase. This kept year-to-date total tonnage of export sales assisted by CWT ahead of 2013 levels by 3.2 million pounds. The total volume of products sold grew by 37 million pounds to 167 million pounds, including cheese, 82 percent butter and whole milk powder.

After a year of strong international markets that contributed to record-high prices for U.S. dairy farmers in 2014, trading conditions now appear set for an extended slump. High milk prices and favorable weather led to a strong rebound in global milk production starting mid-2013. Output from the five major suppliers, which was down 1.3 percent in the year ending June 2013, was up 3.2 percent in the year ending June 2014.