You’re busy milking cows and taking a break from forage production to attend World Dairy Expo. With that in mind, Progressive Dairy looks at issues in the news impacting you and your dairy business. In recognition of your time, we’ll attempt to summarize recent events or actions making dairy headlines and reported in our weekly digital newsletter, Progressive Dairy Extra. Then we’ll try to put that news into perspective and briefly describe how it might affect you.

Milk-n-More Tequila Naomi, a 7-year-old Jersey bred and owned by Milk-n-More Farms of Cecil, Wisconsin, has been named the 2019 Wisconsin Cow of the Year. Naomi will be recognized with the honor at a special ceremony during World Dairy Expo, being held Oct. 1-5, in Madison, Wisconsin.

More details are yet to come, but the heads of major U.S. dairy organizations reacted positively to news a trade agreement between the U.S. and Japan has been reached.

Two publicized incidences on U.S. dairy farms have raised concerns and interest in the industry regarding an “emerging contaminant” commonly referred to as PFAS.

Recently, Progressive Dairy shared evidence that U.S. per capita dairy consumption continues to grow. (Read: The ‘death of dairy’ is greatly exaggerated.) This week, we have reports that dairy’s nutrition and health benefits are in the news as well.

Digest Highlights

• DMC enrollment coming to a close
• Minnesota extends DMC premium assistance sign-up period
• FDA process brings OTC medically important anti-microbials used for animals under veterinary oversight
• Former USDA secretaries support USMCA
• Democrats question dairy deal in Japan trade agreement
• When dust settles, Cropp and Stephenson expect better prices
• Tennessee, Vermont and Wisconsin named DBI grant recipients
• Pennsylvania over-order premium stays at $1 per cwt; co-op reporting proposal
• CDFA awards nearly $102 million for dairy methane reduction projects
• New York DEC extends ‘enforcement discretion’ for waste tires used to cover bunker silos
• Dairy Defined podcast: When standards go horizontal, be careful
• USDA reports later this month

Launched this month, World Dairy Expo’s mobile event app is the newest tool to help attendees plan their time at WDE 2019, Oct. 1-5. This free app, for both Android and iOS users, is built to easily allow attendees the opportunity to personalize their time at the expo. The app includes features for custom itinerary building, meeting scheduling, interactive maps, efficient lead retrieval and more.

The USDA has extended the deadline to Sept. 27 for dairy producers to enroll in the Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) program for 2019. The deadline had been Sept. 20.

August 2019 U.S. milk production continued the year-long trend of minimal growth, according to the USDA’s monthly Milk Production report, released Sept. 18.

Digest Highlights

• USDA providing payments for disaster-related milk losses
• California QIP Phase 2 meetings postponed; opposition continues petition drive
• Global Dairy Trade index moves higher
• Dairy margins start September significantly stronger
• Congress moving to include MFP funds in continuing resolution
• First District Association breaks ground on major expansion
• MMPA delegates approve leadership structural changes
• Wisconsin lawmakers seek plant-based product labeling restrictions
• Cornell Dairy Advancement Program expanding
• Girard promoted at CDI
• Wisconsin groups call for halt to livestock farm siting rule changes