Editor's note: This has been updated from its original posting. Digest Highlights Dairy-related programs suspended during government shutdown 2018 dairy cull cow slaughter nears 3 million Butter inventories see drawdown Canadian dairy farm grants available USDA advances bioengineered food disclosure standard Pfaff appointed Wisconsin ag secretary Illinois milk returns stay negative DairyAmerica lawsuit claim forms revised for Upper Midwest FMMO Global Dairy Trade index rise continues What’s in the mailbox?

Economic conditions for dairy producers have been challenging over the last few years, mostly due to pricing pressures putting the squeeze on profit margins. Interest rates, however, were not a major factor, thanks to the Federal Reserve keeping short-term rates historically low in the wake of the recession.

In December 2018, I attended the DTN conference in Chicago. I had the opportunity to be part of a conversation regarding the future and how it affects agriculture in general and specifically dairy, as the group I was there with either have a dairy or provide feed to dairies. We had an interesting conversation regarding the byproducts we feed to our cows and what they may or may not be in five to 10 years.

“As kids, my brother and I took dynamite into the desert and blew up sagebrush.” That statement came from my grandfather in 1978. “You did what?” Surely I hadn’t heard him right.

Gene editing is helping the bovine world make leaps and bounds through genetic improvement. You may have heard of the success story of the world’s first gene-edited polled calf. Another on the list of possibilities is resistance to bovine tuberculosis.