TRENDING: SAFETY NETS The heavy lifting on dairy safety net reforms – which many were targeting for the 2018 Farm Bill – got some advance help when program changes were inserted in a federal budget bill signed into law in early February.

Celebrating 10 years of Top 25: The top 25 of 2018 For a decade, Progressive Dairyman has presented readers with an annual list of the top 25 best-performing articles. In those 10 years, our online readership has increased nearly 2,000 percent.

U.S. dairy product exports were virtually flat on both a volume and value basis in October, undermined by a continued loss of sales to China, according to Al Levitt, vice president of communications and market analysis at the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC).

A final rule giving schools greater flexibility in the varieties of milk offered to students could be in place by mid-March, in time to make milk-purchasing decisions for the 2019-20 school year.

Digest Highlights Good news: GDT moves higher for first time in six months October cull cow prices dip What’s in the mailbox? October dairy products report: More cheese STATES: Wisconsin Farm Bureau votes to ‘consider’ dairy supply management Minnesota Milk elects 2018-19 leaders INDUSTRY: Nominees sought for processors’ fluid promotion board Saputo finalizes F&A Dairy Products purchase Chobani investing in ‘kids’ yogurt lineup GENYOUth gala generates over $2 million to support youth wellness programs POLICY: GIPSA folded into USDA Ag Marketing Service

Editor's note: This story has been updated with information for producers who receive more than one claim form. Eligible dairy farmers have until Jan. 28, 2019, to return a claim form for their share of a class action lawsuit settlement stemming from nonfat dry milk (NFDM) sales more than a decade ago.

U.S. President Donald Trump joined Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto in signing the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) during the G20 Summit Meeting in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Nov. 30. And, President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping declared a 90-day truce in an escalating trade war between the U.S. and China, with the U.S. putting on hold an increase in import tariffs scheduled for Jan. 1, 2019.

ParlorComp (part of the new VAS Platform) and its desktop companion ParlorWatch are at the forefront of dairy production management. These software technologies are capable of improving the quality and consistency of milk production today — but additional advancements now available have the opportunity to further raise the bar on quality and result in less waste/wasted profit.

Higher milk prices and steady feed costs pushed October 2018’s Margin Protection Program for Dairy (MPP-Dairy) margin to its largest of the year. There will be no MPP-Dairy payments at any level for the month.

Digest Highlights Gillibrand presses for MPP-Dairy premium refunds Idaho dairy farmers back immigrant legal services Holstein Foundation offers ‘Connecting with Dairy Consumers’ workbook North Carolina resources promote dairy knowledge Cargill campaign donates 100,000 milk servings California Dairy Quality Assurance program celebrates 20 years a2 Milk Company reports growth