Reproductive performance is one of the most powerful and easily eroded drivers of dairy profitability. Every missed heat, delayed insemination or unnoticed pregnancy loss quietly adds days open. Increasingly, dairies are turning to technology to measurably improve reproductive outcomes.

As dairy producers increasingly adopt precision livestock farming technologies, the debate between wearable neck sensors (collars/eartags) and internal devices (rumen boluses) has intensified.

In modern agriculture, where profit margins are eroding making efficiency a necessity, dairy producers’ mindsets must shift from management based on raw production to management based purely on economic metrics, most notably income over feed costs.

First detected in U.S. dairy cattle in 2024, highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1) quickly proved to be a costly problem.

The USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) Ag Prices report, released Feb. 27, established January’s Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) program calculations. Factors contributing to the margin include a milk price $1.50 below December 2025’s price and feed costs 11 cents higher than that of the month prior.

Futures prices are rising with news of competitive international prices and strong U.S. dairy exports coupled with the government’s announcement of dairy product purchases, all making for a bullish outlook for U.S. dairy producers in March.

In dairy-related news the last week of February 2026: OSHA fines three companies after six deaths at Colorado dairy farm, the USDA opens its enrollment period for Farmer Bridge Assistance payments, a new U.S.-Indonesia agreement secures access to critical dairy market, and the U.S. dairy community announces the launch of the Latin American Dairy Nutrition Congress.