Kwik Trip is a family owned company based in Lacrosse, Wisconsin and home to more than 18,000 associates. Scott Falkenberg, Sr. Category Mgr, joined us on Dairy Radio Now to tell us more and also preview a panel discussion on the future of food at next week’s PDPW Business Conference:

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

World Dairy Expo^® is accepting nominations for the 2019 Expo Recognition Awards now through February 1, 2019. Producers, organizations, academic staff and others involved in the dairy industry are encouraged to nominate individuals to recognize their outstanding work and dedication to the dairy industry. read more…

The National Milk Producers Federation commended Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue for returning low-fat (1%) flavored milk as part of the National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs. The final rule implementing regulatory changes needed to add low-fat flavored milk to more school menus and other nutrition programs serving children was announced today by the USDA and will be published later this month in the Federal Register.  read more…

As we move toward the end of yet another financially challenging year in the dairy industry, it’s important to look forward to how we can best address the many challenges before us. That’s according to Jim Mulhern, President, and CEO of the National Milk Producers Federation – Read his comments here

The Agriculture Department announced the December Class I base milk price at $15.05 per hundredweight, down 47 cents from November, $1.83 below December 2017, and the lowest December Class I since 2009 when it was at $13.99. 

This is California’s first Federal Order Class I base price and the price that individual orders add their specific Class I differential to, to determine that order’s Class I price. The Federal order Class I base averaged $14.84 in 2018, down from $16.45 in 2017 and compares to $14.80 in 2016. It ranged from a low of $13.36 in March to a high of $16.33 in October. Courtesy Mielke Market Weekly

Doug DeGroff and his family are in need of our prayers and our support.  While on his farm outside Tulare, CA on November 3, 2018, Doug suffered a stroke while driving his ATV.  He crashed into an irrigation canal and sustained severe physical trauma. He has a punctured lung, several broken ribs, lacerations to his head and broke his back in seven places. This fund was started as a way for all those who wish to support the DeGroff family during this most difficult time. Partick Klitz has set up a page for Doug and his family:
Go Fund Me for Doug DeGroff Family

Milk production in the 23 major States during October totaled 16.9 billion pounds, up 1.0 percent from October 2017. September revised production, at 16.4 billion pounds, was up 1.5 percent from September 2017. The September revision represented a decrease of 2 million pounds or less than 0.1 percent from last month’s preliminary production estimate. Read More

The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) thanked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its announcement today that it will extend by 60 days, until Jan. 25, the public comment period during which the agency is seeking information on the proper names for plant-based beverages. The original deadline was Nov. 27.

“It is crucial that all interested parties have adequate time to more fully address FDA’s extensive list of questions about the labeling issue, and why it matters from a nutrition and public health standpoint,” said Jim Mulhern, president and CEO of NMPF, which has long urged FDA to enforce existing rules on what should and shouldn’t properly be called “milk.” “This extension will allow the dairy community, as well as health professionals, to fully explain why consumers deserve accurate and honest information about their food options.” read more…

Jim Mulhern, president and CEO of the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), urged Congress to make passing a new farm bill a top priority in its lame-duck session that starts tomorrow, saying that dairy farmers harmed by low prices would benefit from the certainty and improvements likely to be part of the final law. read more…

Dr. Ken Olson from The American Dairy Science Association joined us on today’s Dairy Radio Now to share with us the wide variety of resources at dairy producers and industry professional’s fingertips.

This month, Dr. Ryan Leiterman of Crystal Creek debunks the myth that ventilation is the main cause of pneumonia.