The Rabobank 2016 Global Dairy Top 20 list is out, reflecting a challenging year for the world’s dairy giants. The biggest story isn’t so much the names on the list, but the bottom line on overall dairy sales and its impact.

The University of Georgia Dairy Science Club is raising money to start a retirement fund for Charisma, a 13-year-old cow in the university’s teaching dairy herd. The Washington State Dairy Federation disputes state water permit costs. Prairie Farms Dairy and the National Basketball Association’s Milwaukee Bucks will team up to sell milk at the Wisconsin State Fair. Richard Denier, retired general manager of World Wide Sires in Visalia, California, will receive the National Dairy Shrine’s highest honor. This and other U.S. region-by-region dairy news can be found here.

For the first time in more than a year, the top five dairy exporting countries/regions produced less combined milk than 12 months earlier. USDA’s June milk estimates showed relatively strong production, but there’s still hope milk prices can stabilize and improve. Dairy margins continued to strengthen over the first half of July. This and other U.S. dairy economic news can be found here.

Beef margins continued to decline over the first half of July, with weaker cattle prices more than offsetting the impact of lower feed costs, according to the latest CIH Margin Watch report from Commodity & Ingredient Hedging LLC.

With beef production up, cold storage inventories also rose. Total frozen beef stored in all warehouses as of June 30 was estimated at about 451.2 million pounds, according to USDA’s monthly Cold Storage report, released July 22. The total is up 1 percent from May 31, but down 5 percent from June a year earlier.

June 2016 beef production, at 2.19 billion pounds, was 10 percent above the previous year, according to USDA’s latest Livestock Slaughter report, issued July 21.

Cattle and calves on feed in U.S. feedlots with a capacity of 1,000 or more head totaled 10.4 million head on July 1, up about 1 percent compared to a year earlier.

USDA’s June milk estimates showed relatively strong production, but there’s still hope milk prices can stabilize and improve, according to Bob Cropp, professor emeritus at the University of Wisconsin – Madison.

For the first time in 11 years, the American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP) will have a new executive vice president.

Congressional ag leaders seek Margin Protection Program for Dairy enrollment extension. The Republican ag platform includes a little dairy. Canada adjusts support prices higher, while the European Union plans additional dairy assistance. This and other dairy policy news can be found here.