dairy
California dairies ask to join federal milk order
The three largest dairy cooperatives in California, unhappy with their statewide milk-pricing plan, petitioned the USDA to create a milk marketing order for the state, according to the news site Dairy Herd Management.
Midwest tries to lure dairy farms out of California
While California dairy farms cope with a three-year drought, "states like Nebraska, Kansas and Iowa are pitching themselves as a dairy heaven," says Harvest Public Media.
More than half of producers enroll in new dairy program
More than 23,000 dairy producers - over half of the dairy operations in the country - enrolled in the new Margin Protection Program, created by the 2014 farm law as a replacement to the previous dairy subsidies, said USDA.
China and Australia agree to trade pact with ag benefits
China will reduce its tariffs on a range of Australian farm exports including beef and dairy as part of a free trade agreement, said Bloomberg. Australia said the trade agreement will give its products an advantage over competitors such as the United States and Canada.
Food price index dips, so does global grain outlook
Lower dairy and meat prices led to a decline in the world Food Price Index for the seventh month in a row, said the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.
Farmers get additional week to sign up for dairy subsidies
Dairy farmers can enroll in the new dairy support program, the insurance-like Margin Protection Program, until Dec 5, one more week than originally announced, said the Agriculture Department.
Global warming could condense U.S. milk production
Milk production at the average U.S. dairy farm could fall by as much as 1.4 percent due to the addition heat stress on dairy cows from global warming in 2030 when temperatures could be 2 degrees Fahrenheit higher, says an Agriculture Department study.
Drought damages dairies, waterfowl get “pop up” wetlands
Three years of drought in California have withered pastures for dairy cattle and struck hard at organic herds, says the first of a two-part story on Grist. "Pastured dairies throughout California, once exemplary models of sustainable and organic farming, are in jeopardy of imminent collapse," writes Madeleine Thomas. She says many organic dairies farms in the West have seen negative returns for four of the last five years, much of it due to higher costs of acquiring feed.
New dairy support program is ready for sign-up
The government announced a new approach to supporting dairy farmers, with enrollment to begin on Tuesday and conclude on Nov 28.
Two views of milk consumption
In the past few days, the Washington Post ran two stories on milk consumption; one on the decades-long decline in dairy consumption and one on the rise of alternatives, such as soy, almond, coconut, rice and hemp.
Putting a pricetag on greenhouse gas controls
The methane digester on a Wisconsin dairy farm is the jumping off point for a two-page New York Times story on ways to harness the free market to reduce greenhouse gases. The digester was built with money from a California initiative.
U.S. and Japan find “path forward” on trade
The leaders of the United States and Japan say "they have made significant progress on the agriculture and auto issues that have blocked a huge Asia-Pacific trade deal following intense talks," says Politico.
Dairy farm robots and cow-calf bonanza
Dairy farmers, short on labor, are adopting the use of robotic milking stations that allow the cows to decide when it's milking time, instead of the two or three mass sessions that have been common for decades, says the New York Times.
Obama trip to Asia has farm trade implications
President Obama will meet the leaders of four nations - Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and the Philippines - during a trip through Asia that begins on Tuesday.
USDA projects record US corn and soy crops
Record yields will result in record large US corn and soybean crops, USDA said at its Outlook Forum, based on current commodity prices, which affect plantings, and on normal weather.