Until recently, it was generally accepted that milk prices ran on a three-year cycle: one year of moderate prices followed by a year of very strong prices and then a year of weak milk prices.

Three key components of any successful team are its people, strategies and execution. For Jack Harkins, many teams focus too much time on execution.

Global milk demand is expected to grow 25 percent in next decade. Summer dairy income margins were mixed. Cold storage inventories saw a slight drawdown.

More than 52,000 dairy farmers from 27 European Union (EU) member states have enrolled in a program to reduce milk production during the final quarter of 2016.

Global milk production slowdowns have helped provide some price recovery. However, the USDA’s latest milk production report indicates a large jump in U.S. cow numbers. This, combined with large cheese and butter inventories, has heightened the degree of price risk faced by dairy producers, according to Alan Zepp, risk management program manager at Pennsylvania's Center for Dairy Excellence (CDE).

It’s not over the moon, but the number of cows in U.S. dairy herds has jumped to a two-decade high. Combined with increased output per cow, estimated August 2016 U.S. milk production was up 1.9 percent compared to the same month a year earlier, according to USDA’s monthly milk production estimates.

If there’s a silver lining in declining U.S. dairy prices, it’s the closer relationship with global prices will make U.S. products more competitive on the export market.

USDA is seeking nominees to serve on the National Dairy Promotion and Research Board (NDB). Nomination deadline is Sept. 28.

The cows are out of the barn, but a court finally closed the door on public release of names and locations of concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs).

USDA’s September World Ag Supply & Demand Estimates (WASDE) and Crop Production reports indicate a slight backslide from improving dairy price and cost trends.