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February 3, 2023: January

World milk supply is on the rise with the European Union and the United Kingdom milk production showing sustained year-over-year (YOY) gains in addition to YOY gains seen the last several months in the U.S. In contrast, New Zealand milk production is being hampered by overly wet conditions and fell 0.6% YOY in December but…

January 27, 2023: FARM Animal Care Workshops

The Center for Dairy Excellence is focused on making sure dairy farmers and their advisors have what they need to be successful into the future. The Vision of the Center is to, “Serve as a catalyst  for a vibrant Pennsylvania Dairy Industry,” further supported by the mission to, “Empower and support Pennsylvania Dairy families and…

January 20, 2023: Annual Crop Production

The USDA released its Crop Production Annual Summary on January 12. This summary reports crop production for the U.S. and by state for major commodities like corn, soybeans, and hay. Of  course, there are many others listed. Due to space constraints, I will summarize U.S. and PA corn for grain, corn silage, soybeans, and alfalfa…

January 13, 2023: 2023 PA Dairy Summit

The Pennsylvania Dairy Summit is hosted annually by the Professional Dairy Managers of Pennsylvania  (PDMP) and the Center for Dairy Excellence (CDE). The Summit brings together dairy producers and  allied industry representatives working within the dairy industry. The Dairy Summit has become the  premier dairy event in Pennsylvania, offering a mix of management training, industry…

January 6, 2023: Tighter Margins Expected in 2023

January 3, 2023 marked the first day of trading in the new year. Unfortunately, Class III and Class IV milk prices continued the downward trends that started last year. To start 2023, there are a  lot of market dynamics that are pressuring milk prices to continue to move lower. With a larger, more efficient herd…

December 23, 2022: December

November Class III and IV prices were announced earlierthis month at $21.01 and $23.30, respectively. The Class III price represents an eighty cents per cwt drop compared to October, and the  Class IV price is $1.66 per cwt less than October. With the main holiday buying season over and continued improvement in domestic and world…

December 16, 2022: Dairy Product Stocks, Production and Disappearance

The USDA publishes an online calendar of release dates for its most common reports each month. The quickest way to find this calendar is to search for “USDA Report Calendar” in your Internet  browser’s search bar. On Google, it is the first site that comes up. For example, dairy exports and dairy product disappearance are…

December 9, 2022: CDE Team Grants Available

Last week, I wrote about new risk management resources available in print and online to help dairy farmers and their advisors navigate the sometimes-rough waters of understanding what  programs are out there and how to use them to help mitigate milk price risk. In addition to risk management resources, the Center offers a wide variety…

December 2, 2022: CDE Risk Management Resources

As dairy markets continue to become more volatile and unpredictable, risk management will also become more crucial to managing through milk price downturns. As a teenager, I was old enough  to start learning about dairy markets and the dairy economy as I was working alongside my father. Leading up to and through the 1990s, it…

November 25, 2022: November

October Class III and IV prices were announced earlier  this month at $21.81 per cwt and $24.96 per cwt, respectively. These prices likely represented the peak prices for the foreseeable future.  According to futures prices at market closing on Nov. 21, Class III and IV milk prices will be lower at $21.02 and $23.35, respectively,…