The second half of 2025 is off to a strong start with July’s U.S. dairy product exports soaring 7% (14,144 metric tons) year over year in milk solid equivalents, which was the second-largest volume moved in any month aside from August 2022.

Following a mixed bag of milk prices in July, the August Federal Milk Marketing Order (FMMO) Class and Component Prices report released Sept. 4 indicates milk prices declined for Classes II, III and IV, with Class IV showing the largest drop of 39 cents per hundredweight (cwt) due to butter and nonfat dry milk prices also coming down.

Expo en Español is an educational opportunity for attendees of World Dairy Expo – from dairy farm owners, laborers and everyone in between. The sessions, which are sponsored by Progressive Dairy, span from transition cow management to leadership within the farm business and are offered each day of the show at 2 p.m. in the Exhibition Hall. 

The USDA released a report in early August that forecast record corn yields this fall – production surpassing 16 billion bushels with a record-high yield of 188.8 bushels per acre. The announcement created buzz in the markets, which only further aided dairy producers’ income over feed cost (IOFC) outlook for the remainder of the year.

The USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) released its Agricultural Prices report Aug. 29, which includes feed costs and milk prices used to calculate the July Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) program margins and indemnity payments.

Lender surveys from Chicago, Dallas and Kansas City Federal Reserve districts demonstrated another weak quarter as interest rates on agricultural loans declined in the second quarter of 2025.

In the news affecting dairy producers' bottom lines the third week of August 2025: The September Class I base milk price falls 23 cents, U.S.-EU trade agreement makes progress for dairy, GDT index down slightly, family-owned farms account for 95% of U.S. farms, and the USDA blocks taxpayer dollars for solar panels on prime farmland.