Progressive Dairy

Progressive Events: Dairy Strong focused on collaboration to move the industry forward

February 18, 2026

Dairy Business Association (DBA) President Greg Siegenthaler welcomed more than 300 people to the annual Dairy Strong conference on Jan. 15 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. “It means a lot that you’re part of the discussions here today so that we may lead our industry forward,” Siegenthaler said.

Case study: The chronic cow driving up bulk tank SCC

What looked like a modest rise in somatic cell count turned out to be a few chronic cows quietly driving most of the problem. By reviewing trends and digging into cow-level data, the herd pinpointed the source, acted quickly and recovered more than $9,000 in monthly milk-quality premiums.

February 17, 2026

Greg Palas

This 1,100-cow herd in the Midwest didn’t think they had a severe somatic cell count (SCC) problem, but they knew it needed to be monitored so it wouldn’t get out of control. The first step was to analyze the herd, understand where they stood and determine whether any trends were developing.

Chapter 12 farm bankruptcy filings up 46% in 2025

Following a four-year decline, farm bankruptcies have increased in consecutive years.

February 16, 2026

Karen Lee

With 315 filings, farm bankruptcies were up 46% from 2024. Declining farm receipts and rising expenses, primarily in crop markets, led to an increase in the number of U.S. farms filing for Chapter 12 bankruptcy in 2025.

FMMO prices fall in January to kick off the new year

Oversupply and weakening demand weighed on January milk prices.

February 16, 2026

Jenn Coyne

Federal Milk Marketing Order (FMMO) uniform milk prices dwindled more than $1 from December 2025 in most orders, the result of robust production and waning consumer demand.

House Committee on Agriculture releases draft of the 2026 Farm Bill

February 16, 2026

Karen Lee

On Feb. 13, the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture released the Farm, Food and National Security Act of 2026.

Changing nutrient concentrations to affect manure application rates and prices

Learn how changes in manure samples may affect manure application rates and pricing in the year ahead.

February 16, 2026

Katie Kelderman

The one constant in life is change, and new data shows dairy producers and custom manure applicators alike will see changes in their manure samples from previous years. These changes could affect manure application rates and prices in 2026.

Time to reevaluate the cost of shrink

Reevaluating the cost of shrink is one of the simplest places to start when looking for ration cost-saving opportunities.

February 13, 2026

Macey Brown

The largest operating cost on all farms is feed, and one of the most influential variables going into feed cost and management is shrink. Whether it is shrink from spoilage, overfeeding, mixing errors or simply poor environmental conditions, it represents feed that is purchased but never consumed by the cow.

Weekly Digest: USDA to open Continuous and General Conservation Reserve Program enrollment for 2026

February 12, 2026

Karen Lee

In dairy-related news the second week of February 2026: The USDA opened enrollment for CRP programs, the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy elects new board executive committee, U.S. and Argentina trade agreement includes dairy, and the DCHA opens registration for its annual conference and trade show.

[Podcast] The Missing Piece in Transition Cow Nutrition

February 12, 2026

Today we’re talking about one of the most important – and most challenging – windows in the dairy cow’s year: the transition period.

Progressive mating strategies drive genetic progress: Results from recent study

A look at how dairies are creating pregnancies and the genetic potential of those calves across the U.S., according to data from 2023.

February 12, 2026

Bailey Basiel

Herds that genotyped and used all semen types had heifers with more than a $100 advantage in net merit than those that used all semen types but did not genotype heifers.