Optimal air quality and flow tie directly to cow productivity and profits. The Dr. Nigel Cook from the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine tells us the different types of ventilation that dairy farmers use to keep their animals cool and comfortable during these hot summer months:

The Agriculture Department announced the June Dairy Month Federal order Class III benchmark milk price Wednesday at $21.04 per hundredweight, up a spectacular $8.90 from May and $4.77 above June 2019. It is the highest Class III price since November 2014 and boosts the 2020 Class III average to $16.09, up from $15.25 at this time a year ago and $14.41 in 2018.

The Class IV price is $12.90, up $2.23 from May but $3.93 below a year ago. Its six month average sits at $13.78, down from $15.98 a year ago and compares to $13.67 in 2018. Courtesy: Mielke Market Weekly – Dr. Mike Hutjens discusses:

Darigold, Inc. and the Northwest Dairy Association (NDA) announced their goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. Read More

Dairy continues to make incredible improvements in terms of nutrition provided, according to Charlie Arnot from the Center for Food Integrity. He updated dairy producers on PDPW’s Dairy Signal:

For the first time in 53 years, there will be no World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin this year: https://worlddairyexpo.com/file_open.php?id=380

Are you a farmer or rancher whose operation has been directly impacted by the coronavirus pandemic? The Coronavirus Food Assistance Program provides direct relief to producers who faced price declines and additional marketing costs due to COVID-19:
Click Here For More Info
NMPF’s Chris Galen tells us more about the application process on Dairy Radio Now:

Official U.S. dairy statistics are just starting to register the impacts of the pandemic, provisionally in product
consumption data, stock levels and federal milk marketing order prices. Full Report from DMI

CDFA announced a new date for the Chapter 3.5 quota hearing and this week CDFA announced additional details regarding the process. Read More from Western United Dairymen

The American Farm Bureau welcomes the announcement by President Trump detailing how the $16 billion in direct payments to farmers from the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program will be distributed. Read More From AFBF

The Agriculture Department announced the April Federal order Class III benchmark milk price at $13.07 per hundredweight, down $3.18 from March, $2.89 below April 2019, and the lowest Class III price since May 2016. The Class IV price is $11.40, down $3.47 from March, $4.32 below a year ago, and the lowest Class IV price since September 2009. Courtesy: Mielke Market Weekly

Dr. Heather White from UW-Madison’s Dairy Science Department shares insights on reducing milk production during the short term, and also the option of putting excess milk back into the ration to feed lactating cows. Comments from PDPW’s Dairy Signal:

Dairy will receive $2.9 billion from the $16 billion economic stimulus package. Economist Ken Olson did an analysis on what dairy producers would receive for a 100, 200 and 2,000 cow operations based on annual milk production of 20,000 pounds and 25,000 pounds for comparison. Bob Gray from Northeast Dairy Farmers Cooperatives breaks it down for Dairy Radio listeners:

Rep. Ron Kind’s (D-La Crosse, WI) Family Farm Rescue Plan calls on the Administration to take the following five actions: 

1. Purchase excess food supply and deliver to food banks
2. Ensure farmers are eligible for all small business relief programs
3. Use Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) funds to directly support family farms
4. Reopen the Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) program
5. End the trade war and implement USMCA

Milwaukee based Hunger Task Force has joined forces with Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection to help provide relief to the growing numbers of underfed and unemployed by connecting milk to emergency food organizations throughout the state. Brian Winnekins of WRDN radio in Durand spoke with Patrick Geoghegan of Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin:

Last year more than half of Americans did not eat there meals at home. Ag Resource economist Dan Basse says the global pandemic has changed that. He shares his concerns about stocking our nation’s grocery stores and is also keeping his eye on another Black Swan that is affecting the ethanol industry.

USDA has FAQ’s and resources about coronavirus (COVID-19).

The latest information directly from the CDC can be found at www.coronavirus.gov.Read More

• Dairy Farmers of America postponed its annual meeting, scheduled for March 16-18 in Kansas City, Missouri.
  
• The Professional Dairy Producers Conference annual business conference, set for March 18-19, in Madison, Wisconsin, will now be held entirely online. Registration closes on March 17 at 5 p.m. Registrants can also access all recorded sessions, handouts and presentations on-demand, and then take a “walk” through PDPW’s premier suppliers’ digital storefronts on PDPW Prime.
  
• The Central Plains Dairy Expo, scheduled for March 24-26 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, has been canceled.
  
• The California Dairy Sustainability Summit, set for March 25-26 in Sacramento California, has been postponed.
  
• The Wisconsin Public Service Farm Show, scheduled for March 31-April 2 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, has been canceled.
  
• An annual “Workshop for Dairy Economists and Policy Analysts,” originally set for April 22-23 in Baltimore, Maryland, will not be held.

Dairymen who are over 65 need to isolate themselves and be creative about how they are managing their usual daily activities with their employees. Non-essential functions by the state have been cancelled and most businesses and state agencies have been working around the clock to comply with the guidance and keep people away from one another.  Western United Dairies thank our farmers for keeping the stores stocked and all their employees who are keeping our consumers fed with healthy and nutritious food.

The State of California has issued the following guidance for self isolation to control the spread of COV-19:
Gathering Guidance English
Gathering Guidance Spanish

Additional information on other self-isolation protocols can be found here:
https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/Guidance.aspx

https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/OPA/Pages/NR20-020s.aspx

Michael Dykes, D.V.M., President and CEO of the International Dairy Foods Association, released the following statement today on COVID-19 and the availability of dairy products across the nation:

“The International Dairy Foods Association has been closely monitoring the COVID-19 situation to ensure the safety and availability of dairy products throughout the nation during this time of emergency. Our members, who represent the full dairy supply chain from the dairy cooperatives to dairy processors to the retailers, report at this time that the nation’s dairy industry is experiencing no interruptions and is continuing to supply American consumers with affordable, healthy milk and dairy products even as demand surges.

“Our association is in close contact with federal agencies and the White House to ensure transportation routes and supply lines in different regions of the country remain free of disruption. These routes are crucial to commerce and public safety and must remain unobstructed. At present, at retail facilities across the country, milk—a nutritious family staple—remains affordable and available. We are working closely with the USDA to remain flexible in how dairy processors get milk to schools and school districts who are continuing to provide meals to the millions of children who need them each day, despite closures, through distribution at schools, churches, parks and other community sites.

“And we are working to ensure dairy processors across the nation have up-to-date information about the swift and dynamic nature of COVID-19, including the latest guidance on prevention, so that they can continue to protect the health and safety of their workforce, their goods, and their customers, ensuring our nation can remain food secure throughout this situation.

“In times like these, we are most grateful for our dairy farmers and dairy processors for their great efficiency, commitment to safety, and ability to get affordable, nutritious milk where it is needed.”

In response to the continued spread of COVID-19 (the coronavirus) in the United States and the virus’s potential impact on domestic and international markets, National Milk Producers Federation President and CEO Jim Mulhern said the following:

“As the organization representing U.S. dairy farmers and the cooperatives they own, the National Milk Producers Federation stands ready to assist its members in addressing coronavirus challenges. From possible damages to domestic and world markets, to supply chain labor disruptions on the farm, at the processing plant or in transporting milk, the potential ramifications for dairy are wide-ranging. We will devote our resources to the best of our ability to helping dairy farmers and cooperatives respond to whatever challenges they may face.

“The good news is that the U.S. dairy supply is safe, and production of high-quality products continues unimpeded. The FDA has confirmed that heat treatment kills other coronaviruses, so pasteurization is expected to also inactivate this virus. In addition, there is no evidence that this strain of coronavirus is present in domestic livestock such as cattle.

“Still, all producers will remain vigilant as what has now been labeled a pandemic continues its path. We will continue to answer questions and offer information to help our members. Policy solutions also may be needed for producers whose operations have been affected by the virus. In keeping with our mission of serving our members, regardless of the challenge, we will work with lawmakers and regulators to ensure a safe and adequate supply of milk and to mitigate potential economic harm to dairy farmers.”

It’s that time of year again as warming temperatures bring out those pesky flies. Mark Upton, Director of Sales, Feed Additives with Central Life Sciences joined us on today’s Dairy Radio Now with some tips on how to better prepare for the upcoming fly season.

January milk output hit 18.8 billion pounds, according to preliminary data in the Agriculture Department’s first Milk Production report of 2020. That’s up 0.9% from January 2019. Output in the top 24 states totaled 17.9 billion, up 1.2%. Revisions added 88 million pounds to the original 50-state December total, now put at 18.37 billion pounds, up 1.2% from December 2018.
Read Full Report Here