USDA’s monthly Ag Prices report is released, providing an overview of milk, feed and dairy cows prices. This and other U.S. dairy economic news can be found here.

February 2016 milk prices fell, but lower feed prices kept U.S. average income margins above Margin Protection Program for Dairy (MPP-Dairy) indemnity payment trigger levels.

The market administrators in the three federal milk marketing orders agreed to a temporary policy for the pooling of dumped milk due to surplus milk conditions. This and other U.S. dairy industry news can be found here.

Proposals submitted for a public hearing on California’s Class 4b minimum milk pricing formula “dry whey scale” are similar in tone and content to those submitted more than a year ago.

Weather and the economy likely impacted somatic cell counts last year. Dean Foods will close a milk plant in Louisiana, and Walmart will build one in Indiana. This and other U.S. dairy industry news can be found here.

President Barack Obama’s historic trip to Cuba was accompanied by an announcement U.S. agricultural commodity checkoff programs will be allowed to finance some marketing, promotion and research activities there. What impact it has on the U.S. dairy industry will take time, investment and congressional action.

Stronger financial returns at the cooperative level helped take some of the sting out of lower milk prices at the farm, Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) leaders told members attending the organization’s 18th annual meeting, March 21-23, in Kansas City, Missouri.

Much of the agricultural community’s conversation surrounding the use of “drones” has concerned the potential positive aspects of inspecting cropland or viewing grazing cattle in remote areas. However, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology creates the potential for animal rights and environmental activists to spy on concentrated feeding operations (CAFOs) and other farming practices.

More than a year away, Walmart’s planned entry into the milk processing business is already sending ripples through the dairy industry.