Choosing the right service and auction structure specific to your property is the key to selling for value. Joe Gizdic, president of Ranch & Farm Auctions joined us on today’s Dairy Radio to explain how their service enables rural land buyers to bid concurrently live onsite, live online and by phone-in bidding in real time in all 50 states.

The Agriculture Department announced the March Federal order Class III milk price at $15.04 per hundredweight, up $1.15 from February, 82 cents above March 2018, and the highest Class III since October 2018 and equates to $1.29 per gallon, up from $1.19 in February and $1.22 a year ago.

The three-month average is at $14.30, up from $13.87 a year ago but compares to $16.49 in 2017.

The March Class IV price is $15.71, down 15 cents from February but $2.67 above a year ago, and the highest March Class IV price since 2014.

Its three month average stands at $15.68, up from $13.01 a year ago and $15.37 in 2017. Courtesy Mielke Market Weekly

Bob Gray from Northeast Dairy Farmers Cooperatives tells us dairy producers who elected to participate in the Livestock Gross Margin for Dairy Cattle Program now have the opportunity to participate in the Margin Protection Program (MPP) for 2018. Previously dairy producers who enrolled in the LGM-Dairy Program in 2018 were ineligible to participate in the MPP. Changes made in the 2018 Farm Bill allows producers who enrolled in LGM-Dairy last year to now retroactively enroll in last year’s MPP.

The MPP dairy program offers payments to producers when the all milk price and the national feed cost – – the margin – – fall below a certain dollar level selected by producers.

The highest margin level for the MPP in 2018 was $8.00. Most importantly, sign up started March 25, and ends on May 10th, 2019. Please make a note of this if you are eligible.

Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue says signups for the new Dairy Margin Coverage program will start on June 17th. Bob Gray from Northeast Dairy Cooperatives joined us on today’s Dairy Radio Now with more info:

Lauren Brey runs a dairy operation with her husband in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin and also works for Dairy Edge Cooperative in Green Bay. She joined us recently to share her concerns over products that are being labeled milk – but don’t come from a cow.

The National Milk Producers Federation today filed a citizen petition with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, outlining a labeling solution to the use of dairy terms on non-dairy products as the agency considers public input from a recently concluded comment period.

The petition reinforces current FDA labeling regulations, with some additional clarification, to show how marketplace transparency can be enhanced and consumer harm from confusion over nutritional content can be reduced. It also addresses several specious arguments raised by marketers of vegan foods as part of the ongoing debate on dairy labeling, such as the false idea that creating consistent, clear labeling of non-dairy products would somehow limit the use of dairy terms on products that clearly aren’t marketed as dairy substitutes, such as peanut butter. (The petition may be accessed here.)

The March Federal order Class I base milk price is $15.98 per hundredweight, up 68 cents from February, $2.62 above March 2018, and the highest Class I price since October 2018. It equates to about $1.37 per gallon, up from $1.15 a year ago. The three-month Class I average is at $15.47, up from $14.35 at this time a year ago and compares to $17.03 in 2017. Courtesy Mielke Market Weekly

Connect and visualize your data and make better decisions faster with My Dairy Dashboard. That’s according to CEO Mitch Norby, who joined us on today’s Dairy Radio Now to share the latest.

U.S. milk prices are beginning a slow rebound but have a long way back to profitability. The Agriculture Department announced the January Federal order Class III benchmark price at $13.96 per hundredweight, up 18 cents from December but 4 cents below January 2018. It equates to $1.20 per gallon, up from $1.18 in December and compares to $1.20 a year ago.

The January Class IV price is $15.48, up 39 cents from December, $2.35 above a year ago, and the highest Class IV price since September 2017.

The four week USDA surveyed cheese price used in calculating the month’s Class prices averaged $1.3868 per pound, up 1.3 cents from December. The butter price averaged $2.2343, down 0.8 cent. Nonfat dry milk averaged 95.13 cents per pound, up 4.9 cents, and dry whey averaged 48.05 cents per pound, up 1.2 cents from December. Courtesy of the Mielke Market Weekly

With the federal government poised to reopen for three weeks after a 35-day partial shutdown that delayed implementation of the 2018 Farm Bill, the National Milk Producers Federation today sent a letter to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue urging quick implementation of the law’s dairy provisions. Read More

The February Federal Order Class I base milk price was announced by the USDA at $15.30 per hundredweight, up 18 cents from January, $1.05 above February 2018, and the highest Class I price since November 2018.

It equates to $1.32 per gallon, up from $1.23 a year ago, and puts the two month average at $15.21, up from $14.85 a year ago but compares to $17.09 in 2017. Courtesy Mielke Market Weekly

Many Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices will reopen temporarily in the coming days to perform certain limited services for farmers and ranchers. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has recalled about 2,500 FSA employees to open offices on Thursday, January 17 and Friday, January 18, in addition to Tuesday, January 22, during normal business hours. The offices will be closed for the federal Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday on Monday, January 21.   Read More

We’re not dealing with many insect pests this time of year but there still should be an effective fly control plan in place. For the most effective control, operators should employ a comprehensive Integrated Pest Management (IPM), according to Mark Upton, Central Life Sciences Director of Sales, Ag Products – Feed Additives. He joined us on today’s Dairy Radio Now to tel us more:

The December Federal order Class III benchmark milk price was announced by the Agriculture Department at $13.78 per hundredweight, down 66 cents from November and $1.66 below December 2017. It equates to $1.18 per gallon, down from $1.24 in November and $1.33 a year ago. It is the lowest Class III price since February 2018 and put the 2018 average at $14.61, down from $16.17 in 2017 and $14.87 in 2016. California’s Class 4b cheese milk price averaged $15.20 in 2017 and $14.27 in 2016.  read more…

Telling the Story Project (www.tellingthestoryproject.org) is a collaboration of three regional agricultural safety centers funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Scott Heiberger from the National Farm Medicine Center tells us more on today’s Dairy Radio Now:

Consumers are intelligent, rational people who care about their families and their nutrition. But they’re also busy — and they don’t have time to be misled by food labels. Lauren Brey, a Wisconsin dairy farmer also works with Edge, #TheVoiceOfMilk, and joined us on today’s Dairy Radio Now with more:

President Trump signed the 2018 farm bill that enacts necessary reforms for dairy farmers. The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) thanked Trump and looks forward to working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to quickly implement several new programs. With NMPF Chairman Randy Mooney in attendance, Trump praised the hard work of American farmers and noted Congress’s efforts to assist them. Dairy has been noted as a big winner in the bill, with new programs that assist dairy producers facing low prices. Read More