June 6, 2023: Dairy Week In Review

USDA announced the May Class III milk price at $16.11 per cwt., down $2.41 from April and $9.10 below year-ago levels. May’s Class III price is the lowest since August 2021. The Class IV price  was announced at $18.10 per cwt., up 15 cents from April but down $6.89 from a year ago. Read More

May 31, 2023: Dairy Week In Review

The All-milk price fell to $20.70 per hundredweight, according to the USDA Ag Prices report, down 40 cents from March and $6.30 below year-ago levels. This is the lowest All-milk price since  October 2021. Corn prices were announced at $6.70 per bushel, up 3 cents from last month but down 37 cents from a year…

May 24, 2023: Dairy Week In Review

Total US milk production was up 0.3 percent to 19.2 billion pounds in April, with production per cow up 1 pound to 2,037 pounds. The nation’s dairy herd grew by 26,000 head from a year ago to  9.43 million head, but shrank 16,000 head from a month ago. California is down 1.9 percent from a…

May 17, 2023: Dairy Week In Review

USDA is forecasting the highest ever global corn crop in 2023-24, according to the latest USDA World Agricultural Supply & Demand Estimates report. Global corn production is estimated at 1.22  billion metric tons, 6 percent higher than last year and a record high resulting from expanding acreage and higher yields. USDA is also projecting the…

May 10, 2023: Dairy Week In Review

The latest USDA Dairy Products report shows March 2023 cheese production up 11.7 percent from last month to 1.23 billion pounds, falling 0.2 percent from a year ago’s production level. Italian  type cheese production was down 1.5 percent from last March to 512 million pounds, while American type cheese production was up 12.5 percent to…

May 3, 2023: Dairy Week In Review

The Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) feed cost declined by 39 cents during March compared to February. All three DMC feed cost factors – corn, soybean meal (SBM), and superior alfalfa hay – experienced declines that resulted in a final total DMC feed cost of $15.02 per cwt. Unfortunately, the U.S. all-milk price declined an additional…

April 26, 2023: Dairy Week In Review

Butter stocks were down 2.33 million pounds from a month ago to 292.7 million pounds on March 31, now just 3.5 percent above year-ago levels. Typically, butter stocks increase from February to  March. Cheese inventories, though, grew as expected, according to the USDA Cold Storage Report. Read More

April 19, 2023: Dairy Week In Review

US total milk production was up 0.5 percent year over year in March to 19.805 billion pounds. Milk production per cow was up 4 pounds, while total cow numbers were up 31,000 head from a year ago, up 6,000 head from last month. The nation’s top milk producer, California, was actually down 2.0 percent in…

April 12, 2023: Dairy Week In Review

USDA’s Dairy Products report shows total cheese output up 0.4 percent from a year ago to 1.11 pounds, down 7.9 percent from a month ago. Italian type cheese production was down 1.4 percent  from a year ago to 460 million pounds, while American type cheese production was up 2.4 percent to 453 million pounds. Butter…

April 5, 2023: Dairy Week In Review

USDA announced the March Class III price at $18.10 per hundredweight, up 32 cents from February but down $4.35 from a year ago. The Class IV price was announced at $18.38 per cwt., down  48 cents from February and $6.44 below last March levels. Class III futures prices on the CME average $18.99 for the…