Cargill is helping dairy farmers prevent accidents and save lives by giving away free safety vests through their new Be Safe, Be Seen campaign. From March 1 through April 15, dairies can claim up to three safety vests in various sizes, including kids, while supplies last.

Digest Highlights

• Fed district interest rates lower
• Dairy herd decline largest since 2004
• Pennsylvania ag department provides ‘whole milk’ labeling guidance
• Sell cows? Check your taxes
• California reschedules ‘QIP’ statute petition hearing
• Texas establishes BVD rule
• Minnesota offers milk cooler grants for schools

Newtrient, in collaboration with the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy and leading agriculture environmental experts, released an update on the potential of dairy feed additives for reducing dairy’s environmental footprint. 

Digest Highlights

• Dairy cow slaughter rate starts 2020 high
• USDA dairy trade forecast shows uptick
• China starts ‘Phase One’ protocol implementation
• Michigan, USDA set new bovine TB control requirements
• Wisconsin ag forum seeks to draw presidential candidates
• New York farm labor wage board sets hearings
• Air quality EQIP aid available in California
• Wisconsin dairy animal abuse claim ‘unfounded’

More than one year after comments closed on the FDA’s request for information on fake-milk labeling, with health organizations warning against inappropriate consumption of plant-based beverages, with a rising number of lawmakers asking why nothing’s been done, and with a new FDA commissioner who seems to understand the problem, the FDA still hasn’t resolved the public health issue of mislabeled plant-based products using dairy terms that imply nutritional equivalence to consumers.

You’re busy milking cows, checking to see where the tillage equipment is parked and eagerly counting the days until Super Tuesday (it’s March 3). With that in mind, Progressive Dairy looks at issues in the news impacting you and your dairy business.

Most of the nation’s dairy farmers are paid for their milk production based on multiple component pricing. All federal order multiple component pricing plans pay producers based on pounds of butterfat, protein, other solids and a producer price differential (PPD) per hundredweight (cwt).

Editor's note: The original article has been updated with market outlook information. The USDA’s January 2020 Milk Production report didn’t contain any major surprises, although cow numbers continue to bounce higher off last summer’s lows.

One of 44 Dean Foods’ plants on a list of facilities to be sold to Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) could be closed before the bankruptcy transaction is completed.

Digest Highlights

• February dairy margins weaken but still strong
• DMC margins staying above $9.50
• Global Dairy Trade index lower
• California quota program ‘sunset’ proposal hits a snag
• House members pressure FDA on ‘dairy’ labels
• California dairies dramatically reducing carbon, water footprints
• Darigold expanding production of FIT
• ‘Making More From Milk’ course planned in Wisconsin