The extra cooking and baking during the holidays always brings an increased demand for butter, but this year butter stocks were already tight due to a growing call for butter in consumer diets.

Progressive Dairyman staff pulled a list of the articles that were most well-read during 2015. Here is a summary of each article, along with updates from authors or participants.

Alltech and Masterfeeds announced that they have entered into a share purchase, under which Alltech will acquire 100 percent of the outstanding shares of Masterfeeds Inc. from Ag Processing Inc. This will provide Alltech complete ownership of Masterfeeds LP, a commercial animal nutrition company in Canada.

Canada is world-renowned for having outstanding dairy cattle with superior genetic potential. In 2014, the exports of dairy genetics from Canada exceeded $158 million, which was nearly a 30 percent increase over 2013 and a 43 percent increase over 2012.

Canadians sent a loud and clear message to their politicians in a nationwide poll conducted on behalf of Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC): Protect our enforced food safety standards and our Canadian dairy industry while you are negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Since 2000, Canadian farm debt has more than doubled to $84.42 billion in 2014. With rising farmland prices and wild swings in the prices of both inputs and outputs, a number of recent media pieces have raised questions on the farm sector’s ability to meet their debt obligations and their sensitivity to changing market conditions.

Dairy producers in Manitoba now have a public exchange to buy and sell underproduction credits. The quota credit exchange opened in December and allows dairy farmers the opportunity to buy or sell a portion of their total daily quota.

I support supply management. Period. As a member of a Canadian dairy farming family, proudly producing top-quality milk for my fellow citizens, I know supply management’s demise would mean the end of the dairy life I know and love.  Recent articles from various news outlets as well as a newly released study have brought these feelings to the foreground once again.

Marketing experts spoke on promotion of the Canadian dairy brand, which has never been more important with new consumer trends, changing demographics and increased product competition.