While the budget bill signed by President Donald Trump earlier this month made changes to the Margin Protection Program for Dairy (MPP-Dairy), details remain to be worked out before the 2018 enrollment period reopens.

A USDA survey showed the percentage of dairy farmers with health care coverage was far less than other agricultural groups. Progressive Dairyman looks at some options to raise those numbers.

Progressive Dairyman Editors Walt Cooley and Audrey Schmitz attended World Ag Expo in Tulare, California, Feb. 13-15, 2018. They walked the show looking for new products and industry trends. Below are their thoughts on what they found.

More than 100 dairy producers and allied industry representatives from 15 states toured Iron Bridge Regional Water Reclamation Facility, Orlando Easterly Wetlands and the Walt Disney World Parks in January 2018. The group was part of Professional Dairy Producers’ annual Managers Academy. The three-day event was held in Orlando, Florida, this year.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the USDA and the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy to jointly promote and enhance environmental sustainability in the dairy industry. The pact extends and builds upon a MOU originally signed in 2009.

Digest Highlights: The country’s largest on-farm anaerobic digester-to-vehicle fuel operation is under construction. New legislation eliminates air emission reporting. Find a summary of this and other news here.

The USDA is hedging its bet by delaying preparation of a final version of a California Federal Milk Marketing Order (FMMO) for producer vote, according to an attorney with the agency.

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 approved by Congress last week. The changes kick-start dairy farmer income protection this year, but there are still questions left to answer.

More often than not, a trip to the grocery store involves dairy products. Whether it’s milk, ice cream, yogurt or cheese, most Americans consume dairy products every single day.

This year, Managers Academy, hosted by PDPW, was located in Orlando, Florida, home to Walt Disney World and the magic that surrounds these world-renowned theme parks.