The most striking factors driving hay markets are related to alfalfa exports, domestic prices for dairy-quality hay and an early start to the supplemental feeding season in drought areas.

Impacts of higher processing costs could drive the spread between all-milk and mailbox prices wider.

A wide gap in September Federal Milk Marketing Order (FMMO) Class IV and Class milk prices extends the incentive to depool Class IV milk.

• 2023 DMC enrollment period is Oct. 17-Dec. 9
• Farm bill dairy provisions reviewed
• California, New York approve farm labor laws
• GDT product prices decline
• Ag producer sentiment drifts lower

June 2022 “mailbox” prices averaged about $1.03 per hundredweight (cwt) less than announced average “all-milk” prices for the same month.

Digest highlights

• See us at World Dairy Expo
• Vitaliano: Dairy markets face near-term uncertainty
• Dairy cull cow marketing jumped in August
• Fed ratchets interest rates higher
• Longhorned tick discovered in northern Missouri
• Farmland values to plateau

Progressive Dairy provides monthly online updates of important dates, reports and advice affecting risk management decisions.

Analyzing the Class I mover, the spread in the monthly advanced Class III skim milk pricing factor ($7.04 per cwt) and advanced Class IV skim milk pricing factor ($12.67 per cwt) is $5.63 per cwt, the widest since July 2020.

Digest highlights

• FMMO Forum registration deadline here
• July fluid sales down
• Dairy Defined: Plant-based beverage ‘bust’ is here
• Online organic dairy ‘origin of livestock’ rule training offered
• GDT product prices higher
• Finstad joins U.S. House Agriculture Committee
• Southeast: The Dairy Alliance launches sustainability documentary