Dozens, if not hundreds, of variables make a single precise answer impossible for all farms, but there is one statement that applies to everyone: It was expensive. According to income and cost data for...
As printed in our July 2014 issue... MILK TRUMPED MEAT as dairy producers reduced culling by 11.5 percent from January through May (155,000 head) to capitalize on historically high milk prices and pass...
As printed in our June 2014 issue... AS A SIGN PRICES MAY HAVE PLATEAUED, U.S. cheese was among the most expensive in the world while butter was selling higher than European and New Zealand counterparts....
As printed in our May 25, 2014 issue... REPLACEMENT PRICES SHOT UP $370 per head since January to a $1,810 average, according to USDA. Arizona and Colorado topped the list at $2,000 per head; Idaho, $1,950...
Milk producers made tangible progress last year in their uphill battle to recover from the financial disaster of 2008-09, according to summary data from the largest dairy accounting firm in the country
When it rained, it didn't pour in California last year. As a result, the California Department of Water Resources (CDWR) has officially declared 2013 the driest year since records began being kept in 1895
As printed in our May 10, 2014 issue... NATIONALLY, MARCH MILK WAS UP 0.9 PERCENT with Colorado and Texas leading the pack by growing output over 6 percent. California and its 1.78 million cows made 3.7...
Five classes of dairy cows are featured on the covers of our January through March 10 issues, representing five of the dairy breeds. Click the cover image to see the official placing for the class, the...
D A C B is my placing in this fine class of 5-year-old Jersey cows. D sorts herself to the top because she has the best rear udder in the class. D uses that distinct edge in rear udder to place over A...
I placed this class of Ayrshire aged cows D B A C. With her angularity and her stretch from end to end, D easily wins the class. For the top placing, D goes over B because D is sharper throughout. D is...
I placed this class of Brown Swiss aged cows C A B D. C wins the class in a very close placing over A. It is C's overall dairyness, style, balance, and feet and legs that carry her to the top. C is a taller,...
I placed this quality class of Guernsey cows D A C B. D easily starts the class with her long, deep and wide frame and quality mammary system. D places over A with a longer, more snugly-attached fore udder....
I placed this lovely class of Holstein aged cows C D B A. I started the class with C as I feel she is the cow showing the fewest faults. She is a beautifully balanced dairy cow with great feet and legs...
As printed in our April 25, 2014 issue... SPOT CHEESE LOST GROUND in early April. Blocks fell by 25-1/4 cents to settle at $2.17 per pound by mid-month. Barrels dropped 17 cents to $2.08. Even so, USDA...
As printed in our April 10, 2014 issue... AN ALL-MILK PRICE WITH A $21.70 midpoint was the latest projection for 2014 by USDA. That value grew by $1.60 since December's estimate. A RECORD UNIFORM PRICE...
As printed in our March 25, 2014 issue... NEW MILK PRICE RECORDS were set for all four classes. The March Class I Mover was $23.64, up $1.62 from last month's watermark. The February Class II posted $23.73,...
Continued high-feed costs and tight overall margins caused 2,321 dairy producers to hang up their milkers last year. Not only was that the most dairies since 2007, but it also tied that year on a percentage...
As printed in our March 10, 2014 issue... THE ICONIC "GOT MILK?" CAMPAIGN was shuttered by the national Milk Processor Education Program, or MilkPEP, as it launched a new tagline, "Milk Life." First utilized...
As printed in our February 25, 2014 issue... THE FARM BILL BECAME LAW in just 10 days. On January 29, it passed the House on a 251 to 166 vote. Then, the Senate approved it, 68 to 32. The President signed...
As printed in our February 10, 2014 issue... U.S. MILK OUTPUT ROSE 0.4 PERCENT to reach 201.2 billion pounds in 2013 compared to the previous year, according to initial USDA estimates. COW NUMBERS WERE...
