In early August, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit revived a class-action lawsuit brought by dairy farmers against DairyAmerica and California Dairies, Inc. If this general issue sounds a little familiar, that is probably because the misreporting of nonfat dry milk prices and the effects on producer income was a well-covered topic several years ago when the issue was first uncovered. I am not one to presume anything about another’s background knowledge, especially about events that occurred over six years ago or about matters involving topics as arcane as milk pricing and federal civil procedure. So here is a short primer on what DairyAmerica and CDI allegedly did wrong, why this matters to dairy farmers and what the Ninth Circuit’s recent opinion means to the lawsuit.

How high could the corn price possibly go? $9? $12? $24? By when? These are the questions on the minds of many agricultural producers. Whether you produce corn or feed it, you want to know if the high is in or if it is yet to come.

Contrary to what many may have believed to be the case given the circumstances, projected forward profit margins for dairy producers actually improved over the summer as the increasing value of milk has more than offset surging feed prices due to this year’s historic drought. This puts dairies in an enviable position relative to their counterparts in the swine and beef cattle industries, where profitability at relatively high historical percentiles can presently be secured through the second half of 2013. In fact, forward profit margins currently exist at or above the 80th percentile of the past 10 years from Q4 2012 through Q4 2013 based upon our model dairy analysis.

Back in 1993, NBA All-Star Charles Barkley found himself in the middle of a national debate because of what he said in a shoe commercial for Nike. It was a simple message, “I am not a role model.” Not a stranger to controversy, Sir Charles defended his statement. Essentially, the point of his argument was that his job was to be good at playing basketball, while a parent’s job is to be a role model for their kids and raise them well.

The tax code is a maze of varying income tax rates and rules governing the application of these rates. Navigating this maze can be a complex task but understanding the various rules can greatly aid in tax planning for dairy farmers as they manage their livestock.

NO One way we have been proactive and progressive is in the continued expansion of our National Dairy FARM program. Now in its third year, we continue to add to the number of farms enrolled in it. There remains a clear and compelling need to have a national, guideline-based, independently verifiable dairy animal care program in place, one that is acceptable to farmers and retailers alike. Because if farmers don’t drive this process, the supermarkets and foodservice community will come up with their own programs, not all of which will take science and years of dairy experience into account.

Editor’s note: This is the final article in a three-part series on developing middle managers. With the right people on the Scandinavian warship and everyone busy rowing, it is time to see who rows the best, who needs more direction and who might need to find a seat on another ship. “Employee evaluations remind the employee what your expectations are, give you a better handle on performances and provide marching orders for retraining, replacing or rewarding,” said Mary Kraft, a dairy producer from Fort Morgan, Colorado.

Are you overfeeding your lactating cows? Victor Cabrera says if you are feeding all your cows the same ration, that is likely the case. Cabrera is an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin Dairy Science Department and a dairy management extension specialist for UW-Extension. He presented a session on grouping strategies at the Four-State Dairy Nutrition and Management Conference held June 13 in Dubuque, Iowa.

Conscientious feeders want to do the best job possible for both their owners and cows. Their goal, whether written or not, is to manufacture and deliver a high-quality, accurate and consistent ration in an efficient manner. Too often, though, obstacles unnecessarily impede the feeder’s process, quality and/or accuracy – and the ration suffers. This was the case recently when a dairy requested a TMR audit. Its feeders were struggling to deliver a consistent total mixed ration (TMR) to the pens prior to cows returning from the parlor.