The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas has granted Dean Foods authority to access the full amount of its $850 million financing to continue operations.

The House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) on a 385 to 41 vote, Dec. 19. The trade agreement now goes to the Senate, where the timetable for possible floor debate is uncertain.

After stronger year-over-year growth in September and October, the U.S. milk production increase slipped back below 1% in November 2019, according to the USDA’s monthly Milk Production report, released Dec. 18.

Digest Highlights

• Partnership developing nationwide network of dairy waste-to-energy projects
• October fluid sales volume down, but other products higher
• USDA buys fluid milk
• Minnesota reopens DAIRI enrollment
• USDA won’t release FMMO information
• Global Dairy Trade index drops
• New FDA commissioner confirmed
• Federal Reserve holds interest rates steady

While specific details of a trade deal between China and the U.S. remain to be seen, dairy farmers must make decisions on 2020 participation in the Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) program by this Friday, Dec. 20. The U.S.-China deal could impact both the feed cost and milk income sides of DMC margin calculations to varying degrees.

You’re busy milking cows and deciding which worn-out assets to replace. With that in mind, Progressive Dairy looks at issues in the news impacting you and your dairy business.

Stuck on what to get your favorite dairy farmer? We reached out to our editorial advisory board and a few other farmers we know for some suggestions of what they’d like to see under their Christmas tree this year.

The Farm Workforce Modernization Act (H.R. 5038), an attempt at immigration reform with a focus on addressing U.S. agriculture’s farm labor crisis, has been approved in the House of Representatives. The measure was approved on a 260-165 vote, with 34 Republicans joining 226 Democrats in favor of passage, Dec. 11. The bill now moves to the Republican-controlled Senate.

Citing prolonged and extensive impacts of weather events this year, the USDA extended the deadline for farmers to enroll in the 2020 Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) program and sign up for the Market Facilitation Program (MFP) until Dec. 20.

A deal between the Trump administration and U.S. House Democrats have raised the hopes among U.S. dairy organization leaders that the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement (USMCA) can be in place soon. Having already waited more than a year since dairy provisions of the USMCA were first revealed in October 2018, dairy leaders urged lawmakers to vote swiftly on legislation implementing the trade pact, with some expressing hope approval would come in time for Christmas.