Lower dairy product prices resulted in lower revenue and a decline in assets for most dairy cooperatives in 2015, according to an annual USDA summary. Despite the decline, however, more than one-fifth of the nation's 100 largest cooperatives have dairy businesses.

Near-term price declines have halted a U.S. dairy recovery thought to have started this summer. However, global dairy economists see better times ahead.

Improved sales of milk powder to Mexico and whey to China, plus rebounding world commodity prices, led U.S. dairy exports to post their first year-over-year value increase in more than two years. Overall exports were valued at $402.6 million, up 3 percent from last August.

USDA will offer to purchase another $20 million in cheese early next year after the first offer fell far short of its target.

USDA’s October World Ag Supply & Demand Estimates (WASDE) report forsees a lot more milk coming in 2016 and 2017, along with a weakening in projected milk prices. Rapidly growing cow numbers were cited for the milk production gains.

A U.S. district judge granted class action status in a lawsuit with Syngenta. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration is told to go back to the drawing board on fertilizer facility safety rules. Crop inputs are being pressured lower by commodity prices. Read more on these and other news updates impacting forage production below.

The August U.S. average milk-income-over-feed-cost margin jumped to the highest level since last November, meaning there will be no Margin Protection Program for Dairy (MPP-Dairy) indemnity payments for the July-August pay period.

The 2016 hay and forage season is winding down. With large inventories, producers in some regions are considering leaving the last crop in the fields.

It started with a press release from the USDA titled “USDA Announces Safety Net Assistance for Milk Producers Due to Tightening Dairy Margins.”

The volume of natural cheese in cold storage has attracted a great deal of scrutiny in recent months, garnering attention among industry and political leaders, on social media and late-night talk shows. Cited as a reason for lower milk prices, it also prompted the USDA to announce it would purchase about 11 million pounds of cheese for food banks and feeding programs.