For many years at the beginning of February, the Pennsylvania Dairy Summit has been the go-to conference for Pennsylvania dairy farmers and industry personnel to get the most up-to-date information on a variety of topics. After having to provide the Summit virtually in 2021, this year’s Summit is back in-person on February 2 – 3…
Happy New Year! It is hard to believe that another year has already come and gone. Many folks make resolutions this time of year to make self-improvements or to be more service minded to improve the world around them. The two most common resolutions year-after-year are to exercise more and to eat more healthily or…
This month marks the end of the third year I’ve worked at the Center for Dairy Excellence. Thank you for accepting me into the Pennsylvania dairy industry and for reading these articles. I hope you find value in them. Any time you have questions, do not hesitate to contact me. As another year is ending,…
On December 8, the USDA announced that enrollment for the 2022 Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) program would open on December 13, 2021 and continue through February 18, 2022 at local Farm Service Agency (FSA) service centers. Continue reading for additional details on the improved programs. Read More
For the second month in a row, the Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) margin improved. For October, the improved margins were driven by both increased milk price and decreased feed prices. The Oct. DMC margin was announced as $8.77 per cwt and is the highest margin so far this year. The blended alfalfa hay price increased…
Since at least 2010, U.S. and Pennsylvania cow numbers have had opposite trends. In general, the U.S. herd size has been increasing while the Pennsylvania herd size has decreased (see the graph below). However, so far this year, the trend is slightly different. Pennsylvania has maintained a herd size of 475,000 through October while U.S….
Residual effects of high feed cost extremes continue to impact milk production across the nation. Year-over-year (YOY) milk production growth has been slowing since its peak in April 2021. Growth fell below 1% in August and was basically flat in September. For the first time since May 2020, October YOY milk production shrank due to…
Each month the USDA publishes its World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimate (WASDE). This report covers all major U.S. commodities including cereal grains, rice, and even sugar. Of course, dairy product production and prices are included as well. In the earlier months of the year, it finalizes and summarizes the previous year’s data and makes…
September export numbers were recently released. It is the 9th month in a row to experience year-over-year (YOY) growth in volume and value. Growth continued despite continued congestion at major U.S. ports. With U.S. milk production continuing to grow YOY in Sept., exports helped to provide additional outlets for dairy products. Nearly all major dairy…
The USDA updated August milk production and cow number data are showing a larger shrinkage in cow numbers that led to even slower growth in milk production compared to what was originally reported last month. After reporting an August herd size of 9.480 million head in September’s Milk Production report, the USDA revised that down…