Agriculture

Growth in milk production in the major exporting regions is expected to slow to a trickle in the first half of 2019 to less than 0.5 percent, bringing some recovery in milk prices.But there’s a lot of uncertainty in world markets, according to Rabobank analysts.“I think we’re going to be better than ’18, which is no great shakes, but I don’t think we’re going to be as high as we were in ’17. Rabobank is forecasting no more than a $1 per hundredweight increase in the Class III milk price, bringing the average in 2019 to $15.55, she said. [node:read-more:link]

With 638 Wisconsin farms shut down in 2018, it is no secret the state is battling a dairy crisis. A joint effort between the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) and the University of Wisconsin system, the task force’s goal is to ensure a successful and profitable future for the industry, much like the first dairy task force tried to do in 1985. The new proposals, passed December 13, hinge on state funding. [node:read-more:link]

Idaho farm income plummeted for a second consecutive year in 2018, due largely to overproduction by the state’s dairy producers. Idaho’s net farm income has continued on a prolonged downward spiral and also dropped about 27 percent in 2017 from the prior year.“It’s the fifth year that’s declined in net farm income. It’s pretty rough,” Eborn said. “Farmers are making 40 percent of what they were making in 2011. [node:read-more:link]

2018 is on track for the worst year-on-year growth in domestic milk production since 2013, according to a new report from Rabobank. Prospects don’t look much better for 2019 as the industry continues to grapple with overproduction, tariffs and volatile market dynamics. Despite increases in consumer spending, retail dairy sales have mostly declined. The hardship is in part due to a dramatic oversupply that has forced prices down and left dairy manufacturers reeling. Nevertheless, U.S. milk solids exports were up 18% across the board. Trade disputes have provoked shifts in the market. [node:read-more:link]

Rick Snyder says there is insufficient scientific evidence that cage-free eggs are superior to conventional eggs in terms of animal welfare or food safety.In one of his last acts as governor of Michigan, Rick Snyder vetoed a bill that would establish the effective date of requirements that all eggs produced in Michigan come from cage-free laying systems.The 2009 law that created and phased in new standards for cage-free housing for certain animals would have been effective October 12, 2019. [node:read-more:link]

The Department of Transportation in the last weeks of 2018 permanently suspended the requirement that livestock haulers use electronic logging devices (ELDs).A brief statement on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration stated simply: “Transporters of livestock and insects are not required to have an ELD. The statutory exemption will remain in place until further notice. [node:read-more:link]

Too often, in mainstream media agricultural topics are covered by someone who can’t pick out the north end of a southbound cow. When a real farmer speaks, people love to listen, and that creates ripple effect, for better or for worse, on the entire agriculture community.he current dairy economy is very challenging right now. Any producer can tell you that. [node:read-more:link]

Last week at the 2018 MILK Business Conference, we hosted three CEOs to discuss the state of the industry. Andrei Mikhalevsky (AM) is the President and CEO of California Dairies Inc. He joined CDI in 2012. Tony Sarsam (TS) is CEO of Borden, where he leads more than 3,300 employees across 13 processing plants and nearly 100 distribution centers. Rick Smith (RS) has been president and CEO of Dairy Farmers of America since 2006. [node:read-more:link]

Is the U.S. dairy industry declining? Dairy farmers, especially those with small, organic farms, have been grappling with low prices from tightened trade and decreasing domestic demand for dairy milk. The U.S. should expect its lowest year-on-year growth since 2013, according to Dairy Quarterly Q4 2018, a Rabobank report. [node:read-more:link]

Over the past two years, the breadbasket of America has planted less and less wheat. Acres planted to wheat in 2017 and 2018 neared 100-year lows, with last year’s 7.7 million wheat acres hitting the lowest point in 60 years. Low prices and a wheat surplus moved farmers away from the Kansas staple. This year, those problems combined with a delayed fall harvest and unfavorable weather to push wheat acres to what could be the lowest point in a century. [node:read-more:link]