Editor’s note: The following column is a quarterly update from Global Dairy Farmers, a network of farmers, companies and universities. Contributors from this global network of experts provide Progressive Dairyman readers with a quarterly update about events affecting dairy farms around the world.

During the past several months, Progressive Dairyman readers have responded to an announcement last fall that tail docking will not be permitted as part of Farmers Assuring Responsible Management, or the FARM program, beginning next year.

The decrease in milkfat production on a 1,500-cow New York dairy occurred a little at a time. Point-by-point, fat production quietly slipped away – not setting off any alarms or concerns, but eroding nonetheless.

Ugh. It’s the first Monday of the month and you log onto your milk processor website to look at your projected payments for the month. It’s not looking good. So what do you do? Kick something? Yell at someone? Go fishing?

Using feed efficiency as the silver-bullet answer for questions of on-farm sustainability can be tempting. After all, feed costs represent 50 to 60 percent of the operating expenses of the average dairy farm. Feed production and its consumption are a considerable portion of the environmental footprint as well.

Milk quality in the southeastern region of the U.S. has historically been worse than the rest of the country. Resolving this issue is imperative in order to maintain sustainability in the region. The Southeast Quality Milk Initiative is a multi-state collaborative outreach, educational and research program aimed to improve the sustainability of dairy production in the southeast region of the U.S.

Butter is a new superfood, which means butterfat contributes more to your milk check than usual. In September, milkfat price went ahead of milk protein price for the first time since we’ve been tracking components.

Dairy producers are constantly looking for ways to increase profitability, especially in times of low milk prices. Milk is the main product of the majority of U.S. dairy herds, and its volume and quality is directly associated with the farm’s gross income.

What’s the big deal?Out of more than 3 million bulk milk pickup samples (Grade A and B) tested per year, fewer than 500 are positive today. That means fewer than one in 6,000 positives. Twenty years ago, about 3,000 samples were positive.

As dairy producers can attest, ketosis is a common health challenge. However, without a routine testing program, many producers do not realize how many of their cows are affected. Several large studies indicate that, on average, more than 40 percent of cows experience ketosis at least once during the first two weeks after calving.