Despite rising feed prices and a hot summer, milk production continues to increase this year, with forecast milk output rising 1.5 percent in 2011 to 195.7 billion pounds, according to USDA. Cow numbers continue to increase more than expected and output per cow appears to have rebounded from the July and August heat. Cow numbers are projected at 9.2 million … Read More
USDA Pledges Aid for Dairies Damaged by Irene
With three of the nation’s top ten dairy states being impacted by major flooding resulting from the Hurricane Irene last week, the USDA is pledging support for affected producers. “We continue to closely coordinate with many partners to meet the immediate and plan for the long-term needs of those affected by Hurricane Irene,” said Agriculture Secretary Tim Vilsack. “Our thoughts … Read More
Popular Dairy Insurance Program Exhausts Funds
USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) is concerned about adequate funding for the popular Livestock Gross Margin (LGM) Dairy plan of insurance. “Congress makes $20 million a year available for all livestock programs,” says RMA administrator Bill Murphy. “The popularity of the newly-designed dairy program exhausted these funds in March, halfway through the fiscal year.” Murphy says the agency has historically … Read More
Grant to Support Dairy Farm Stewardship Toolkit
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced a $1.1 million Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG) to the Dairy Research Institute™ (formerly known as Dairy Science Institute, Inc.), an affiliate of the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy®. The funding will support the development of a Dairy Farm Stewardship Toolkit for dairy producers to evaluate their production techniques and identify potential improvements in management … Read More
USDA Studies Dairy Cows Inside and Out
USDA researchers using computers to simulate dairy cow living situations think keeping the animals outdoors more may be better for the environment. An Agricultural Research Service (ARS) team evaluated how different management systems on a typical 250-acre Pennsylvania dairy farm would affect the environment. The study used the Integrated Farm System Model, a computer program that simulates the major biological … Read More
Forgotten Forage Grass Rediscovered
Thanks to a farmer’s report, a USDA grass breeder has rediscovered a long-forgotten forage grass called meadow fescue that seems perfect for intensive rotational grazing. Charles Opitz found the grass growing in the deep shade of a remnant oak savannah on his dairy farm near Mineral Point, Wis. He discovered that his cows loved it and produced more milk when … Read More
Vilsack: Time to Act on Dairy Industry Committee Report
The U.S. Secretary of Agriculture says now is the time to act on the recommendations to dairy policy submitted by the Dairy Industry Advisory Committee. “If we don’t act, if we simply put all of this on the shelf and say ‘dairy prices are better now, so happy days are here again,’ this is one area for us to act … Read More
Milking Parlor: Profits Tighter But Dairy Herd Expanding
Prospects for dairy farmers are mixed for this year, with milk prices going up but profits being a bit lower… that’s the word out of the recent USDA Agricultural Outlook Forum. In this edition of the Milking Parlor, we hear from Ag Department dairy analyst Roger Hoskins, who told the group gathered for the forum that feed prices have gone … Read More
Dairy Industry Committee Approves Report to Vilsack
The Dairy Industry Advisory Committee today has made some key recommendations for changes in USDA policy to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. In approving the final version of the “Recommendations for Public Policy to Improve Dairy Farm Profitability and Reduce Milk Price Volatility” report, the 17-member committee of dairy industry producers and leaders made recommendations to Vilsack on how USDA can … Read More
Dairy Committe Report Due Out in March
The dairy economy was a topic of discussion during a full House Agriculture Committee hearing Thursday where Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack testified about the outlook for the farm economy. “The livestock and dairy industries could face some financial pressures in 2011 and bear watching,” Vilsack told the committee. Getting more specific in his written testimony, Vilsack noted that dairy … Read More