Proposed changes to U.S. tax law may affect only a few dairies, at least until milk prices rebound into profitable territory. Dairy industry accountants mostly agree that the components of a bill that is currently being reconciled by Congress will be “tax neutral” as it relates to any dairy operation income. It’s also unlikely the current discussion about tax revisions, if signed into law, will provide any significant changes to current year (2017) tax filings.

Digest Highlights: Dairy farmers may be closer to having access to another income safety net. USDA cuts milk production forecast, but price projections too. Dairy co-ops request temporary surcharge on Class I milk in the Florida Federal Milk Marketing Order. Find a summary of these and other news here.

With too much supply, milk marketing has become a buyer’s market, Larry Hermanson told dairy farmers attending the 2017 Vita Plus Dairy Summit, Dec. 6-7, in Madison, Wisconsin. The supply-demand imbalance negatively impacts his cooperative and its dairy producer members.

“This is a miracle – plain and simple,” cardiology doctors told Shelly O’Leary in June 2017.

U.S. exports of nonfat dry milk/skim milk powder (NDM/SMP) have been unable to match last year’s record pace in recent months, dragging overall trade performance down, according to Alan Levitt, USDEC vice president of communications and market analysis.

1. “A lovely thing about Christmas is that it’s compulsory, like a thunderstorm, and we all go through it together.” – Songs of Exile, Garrison Keillor Winter is a struggle for me, as for most farmers, I expect. The time spent unthawing frozen pipes and hoses and waterers, moving snow, putting down extra bedding, feeding cows in the barn … it seems to consume every available hour. Add a few Christmas parties, a couple of 5:30 dinners in town, a quick trip out of town, gifts and Christmas concerts, and it gets overwhelming in a hurry.

As a Hudson Institute-certified coach, I have been taught to always ask, “How old are you?” This is not rude. This is a helpful piece of information to assess what key issues need to be talked about. Scott Zimmer of Bridgeworks has helped me with decoding helpful language for communication between the generations.

When it comes to operating a successful business, few relationships are more important than the one linking producer and lender, according to Rob Barley, partner at Star Rock Farms and Star Rock Dairy in Conestoga, Pennsylvania.

One responsibility of my first full-time job was to survey fluid milk cases in supermarkets. I gathered information with regard to products on the shelves, their placement and price.

There is no question the ongoing narrative concerning climate change and the various “man-induced” gas (including ammonia, carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide) emissions includes agriculture in numerous ways.