Not all domestic semen is required to be certified by CSS. Consequently, semen straws from bulls with unknown health status that may also be produced with less-than-ideal practices, abound. They cross state lines; they hop from one semen tank to another; and they can introduced an unwanted disease to your herd.

The USDA released catch-up Ag Prices report on Dec. 15, including factors used to calculate the September and October 2025 Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) program margins.

In the news related to dairy farming mid-December 2025: House passes Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, a milk test finds Wisconsin’s first case of HPAI in dairy, Land O’Lakes doubles down on hunger relief before the holidays, an annual event highlights the Friends of Expo, Alltech announces dairy farm Most Valuable Employee Award winner, and the USDA announces $38.1 million in grant agreement to cover agricultural losses due to Hurricane Helene in Tennessee.

Federal Milk Marketing Order (FMMO) regional uniform milk prices continued to fall in November, in many cases hitting multiyear lows. Across all orders, uniform prices declined an average of 98 cents per hundredweight (cwt) compared to October, with declines of $1 or more per cwt in five of 11 FMMOs.

On my first day working for Progressive Dairy nearly four years ago, our office manager handed me a keyring with a key to the building and a charm engraved with the word “DREAM.” That charm is still on my keyring and takes on even more meaning every single day: While I’m living my dream, I get to tell stories about others who are also living theirs.