Beef-on-dairy calf values remain historically strong, even as the broader cattle market has backed off the record highs reached earlier this year. While the $2,000 day-old calves trading this spring may now be valued closer to $1,200, current prices continue to provide a significant revenue opportunity for dairy producers. More importantly, the success of crossbred…
Having an accurate and timely bookkeeping system is vital for every business. When there is money in the checking account to pay all the invoices that have been received, many people find this to be a very satisfying activity. When money is tight, it can be less satisfying and more of a juggling act. Accurate…
Well, it depends, but it is certainly positive if we were to assign a dollar value to it. As a dairy producer, you are exposed to various risks throughout the day. Farming is risky, but having protocols in place can mitigate risk and help your operation weather the storm when it arises. I recently had…
As August fades into September, it seems like we go from 20 to 100 miles an hour on the farm overnight. Suddenly the fall harvesting season is upon us, and dump trucks and forage wagons are flying in and out of driveways all over the Commonwealth. Manure tankers line the roads, and grain drills are…
For the Dairy Margin Coverage program, the USDA announced July’s margin to be $9.93 per hundredweight (cwt). With the margin 43 cents per cwt above the $9.50 trigger, no indemnities were paid out at any coverage level ($4.00 up to $9.50 per cwt). July’s margin was 95 cents below the prior month’s margin at $10.88…
There’s always at least one commodity that’s leaving market participants scratching their heads. In 2026, the nonfat dry milk market has been one of the most intriguing markets to watch. During the first half of the year, CME spot prices swung through a range of more than dollar topping out around $2.30 per pound before…
According to the U.S. Labor Department’s latest report, the percentage of our U.S. population in the labor force today sits at just below 60%, which is at its lowest point since July 2021. Unemployment rates in this country remain flat, with July’s report showing unemployment at 4.1%. The unemployment rate represents the number of people…
Imagine you are picnicking with a friend beside a creek on a warm summer day. Suddenly, you hear a child screaming in the water. You both rush in and pull her to safety. Before she can catch her breath, another child cries out. Again, you save the child. Then another appears. Exhausted and frustrated, you…
Based on the July 2026 USDA Cattle Inventory report, the inventory of all cows and calves in the U.S. totaled 94.2 million head, a 200,000- head increase from the July 2025 report with the lowest inventory on record. Since 2018, this is the first increase in the July inventory numbers we’ve seen.
The U.S. dairy markets have grown increasingly reliant on exports as production outpaces local demand growth. That trajectory is unlikely to change anytime soon. Estimates suggest that between 15% and 20% of U.S. milk production moves internationally. With that global picture in mind, the U.S. dairy industry needs to continue positioning itself for an increasingly…
