In the news related to dairy farming the second week of December: The Trump administration announces $12 billion farmer bridge payments, the USDA announces plans to expand crop insurance access for farmers, Wisconsin teamsters authorize strike at Actus Nutrition and Foremost Farms, another New World screwworm case detected in northern Mexico, and Tyson Foods announced plans to close a Nebraska beef plant.

Prices for U.S. replacement dairy cows continued to climb entering the first half of 2025, hitting a new record-breaking high in April, according to latest quarterly estimates from the USDA.

Tyson Foods announced Dec. 4 it is closing three U.S. plants affecting more than 1,000 employees, biggest among them being the Emporia, Kansas, facility with 809 workers. Two other prepared food facilities in Philadelphia that produce frozen cheesesteaks are also closing.

With generally improving pastures and lower expected feed costs this year, the demand for feeder calves is well supported.

Since October 2022, drought conditions have improved for much of the country, to the point where less than 24% of the U.S. is under drought conditions.

U.S. beef production is poised to end 2022 with another record in total output, as January through October federally inspected slaughtered beef hit 23.25 billion pounds – a 1.9% increase over the same 10-month period from 2021’s record production.