The USDA’s World Ag Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report offers forecasts for dairy, beef and feedstuffs. 

The USDA issued a new federal order on Friday, Dec. 6, that requires raw (unpasteurized) milk samples nationwide be collected and shared with the USDA to test for the prevalence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1.

In the past decade alone, domestic per-capita consumption of cheese is up 19% and per-capita butter consumption is up 18.1%.

As we close the books on 2024, Progressive Dairy’s editorial team identified four trending topics that made headlines throughout the year. Read on as we recap highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) detected in dairy cattle, Federal Milk Marketing Order (FMMO) modernization efforts, increasing dairy margins and declining dairy cattle inventories.

Here is what is happening in dairy-related news as we start the final month of the year: Fluid milk sales declined in September, Trump nominates Brooke Rollins for secretary of agriculture, Holstein updates pedigrees with slick gene label, and new dairy innovations are promoted.

Here’s an update on interest rates from quarter three of 2024 as reported by Federal Reserve districts that share data impacting dairy finances.

As we look to the last month of the year, milk prices are trending lower than the previous months’ highs with milk production up year over year, new cheese plants online and holiday buying finishing up noted as a few influencing factors. Yet margins continue to look favorable.

Dairy cull cows marketed through U.S. slaughter plants in October lowest since 2010.

In the news this week: CARB approves Low Carbon Fuel Standard program updates, DFA plans to stop production at Indiana condensing plant in January, checkoff launches new conservation resource, and DCRC annual meeting addresses sustainable dairy cattle management practices.

In coordination with state health departments in Michigan and Colorado, the CDC tested blood from people who were exposed to dairy cows with H5N1 bird flu infection, also known as highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). Eight of the 115 people tested (7% of participants) showed evidence of recent H5N1 virus infection.