Quarterly average prices in April reached the same peak of $2,120 per head as seen in October 2014.

Tightening cow and heifer numbers pushed average prices for U.S. replacement dairy cows to a nine-year high in January, according to latest USDA quarterly estimates.

With improving milk prices and margins and tightening cow numbers, average prices for U.S. replacement dairy cows moved to an eight-year high in October.

Those looking for bright spots in this year’s dairy outlook have found their search increasingly challenging.

Against the backdrop of ongoing water shortages and high feed costs, there are compelling reasons to increase the productive life of dairy herds.

Dairy heifer and hay export volumes were lower in October.

For the January-August period, dairy embryo exports totaled 10,918, the highest eight-month total to start the year in the past five years, already surpassing the 2021 annual total.

Elevated whey and lactose sales provided a boost to July’s global marketing volumes and values.