Along with the hope milk prices and income margins will increase in 2017, dairy farmers will likely encounter something else they haven’t seen in a while – rising interest rates.

Both the U.S. average milk price and margin over feed cost hit 12-month highs in November, marked improvements compared to earlier this summer, according to monthly summaries from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

USDA’s crop production and hay stocks reports will update 2016 hay and forage production totals, hay inventories and alfalfa new seeding acreage estimates on Jan. 12, 2017. For now, most hay growers and marketers can be happy 2016 is in their rear-view mirror.

Successfully transferring a farm business from one generation to the next can be challenging and rewarding. Succession planning requires not only the transfer of property and assets but also management and leadership, according to attorney Troy Schneider.

On the football field, it’s about pulling everything together to finish strong. In the milking parlor, whether it’s the genetics, feed, weather, facilities, management or all of the above, it looks like the cows are “owning” the fourth quarter.

Dramatic and fundamental changes over the past two years threaten California’s dairy industry and the dairy cooperative structure, according to Eric Erba, senior vice president and chief strategy officer for California Dairies Inc. (CDI).

International, national and regional financial services companies with a stake in the dairy industry share similar outlooks heading into 2017: Recovery is on the way, with strong ties to global markets.

Two large Midwest dairy cooperatives, Prairie Farms Dairy and Swiss Valley Farms, have entered into a merger agreement.

The USDA’s latest Certified Organic Survey showed signs of a growing organic dairy industry – but one facing challenges.

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