Milk checks for March milk production should reflect higher Federal Milk Marketing Order (FMMO) prices for all milk classes. The increase could be short-lived.

Here is the news affecting dairies as we enter April 2024.

I’ve been spending the last few weekends watching middle schoolers play volleyball. This local league is an opportunity for girls who love the sport to practice their skills and gain experience on the court. On one day, I watched a pair of 16-year-olds rally and lead a team better than many adults.

Here’s an update on news impacting your dairy during the last week of March 2024.

Sudden loss of appetite; decreased milk production; thicker, concentrated, colostrumlike milk; a drop in rumen motility; abnormal tacky or loose feces; and fever are clinical signs reported thus far of an unidentified illness affecting dairy cows in the Southwest. Cases of this contagious illness were first reported several weeks ago in Texas.

Here’s an update on economic factors impacting your dairy’s financial picture.

Here is a quick look at dairy-related news from last week.

Late on Friday, March 8, and hours before the deadline to avoid a partial government shutdown, the Senate passed the bill for a $460 billion spending package that includes funding for six federal agencies by a vote of 75-22. The bill, which was passed by the House with a vote of 339-85 earlier in the week, was then signed by President Joe Biden on Saturday.

Walmart announced it plans to open its third owned-and-operated milk processing facility in central Texas in 2026. The new facility, to be located in Robinson, Texas, between Dallas and Austin, will create nearly 400 new jobs in the community.