Send us a text

In this first installment of the new "Protecting Your Profits" minisode series, Dairy Report Rundown, Nicole Colgren, Sales Director with Total Farm Marketing, sat down with us to talk through the December 2024 USDA Milk Production and Cold Storage reports. She covered the significance of the reports, key takeaways, external influencing factors, and what she believes the future holds for the dairy industry.

To receive weekly dairy market updates via email each week, click here to subscribe and get the updates sent to you at no cost each week.

Send us a text

In this month's "Protecting Your Profits" webinar, Kathleen Noble Wolfley and Colin Kadis from Ever.Ag projected the trends and opportunities that might be on the horizon for the dairy marketplace in 2025. They talked about milk supply expectations – both U.S. and global – new cheese capacity, importance of exports, dairy market outlook and domestic demand forecasts, "headline” risks, and ways to manage risk in this ever-shifting marketplace.

To receive weekly dairy market updates via email each week, click here to subscribe and get the updates sent to you at no cost each week.

Send us a text

Markets change and they don’t care about what you think they should look like – or what you might need for your cost of production. Are you setting yourself up for long-term success by capturing opportunities before they’re too late? Are you adapting to changing feed and dairy markets to guide your approach to risk management on your dairy farm?

In this month’s free “Protecting Your Profits” webinar, hear from Jacob Thompson and Andy McCarty, two experienced dairy business advisors. They will share how to control what you can through a solid risk management plan, no matter the level of volatility or uncertainty in the markets. As we approach the end of the calendar year, they will dive into the four main risk management products available to dairy producers who want to protect their revenue stream: Forward Contracting, Livestock Gross Margin, Dairy Margin Coverage, and Dairy Revenue Protection. Each program has different tiers, levels, and decisions that make it possible to tailor a plan that’s unique to your dairy operation.

To receive weekly dairy market updates via email each week, click here to subscribe and get the updates sent to you at no cost each week.

Send us a text

In this month's "Protecting Your Profits" discussion, Rob Goodling from Horizon Farm Credit breaks down 17 benchmarks that are part of the PA Dairy Performance Indicators project. From year to year, these benchmarks help us compare individual dairy operations to how the top dairies in the data set are performing financially. Rob shares an overview of the 2023 data and a comprehensive snapshot of herd performance across various sizes and production types – revealing distinct patterns in milk production, costs, and financial outcomes.

Find out where Pennsylvania stands in terms of herd performance, financial performance and more. Rob also examines how herds participating in both years of the Performance Indicators Project compare to the group averages and shared some of the variation between herd size groups.

To receive weekly dairy market updates via email each week, click here to subscribe and get the updates sent to you at no cost each week.

Send us a text

What daily responsibilities on the farm have the highest risk? The answer might surprise you. From animal handling and manure application to horizontal silos and working with heavy machinery, dairy farmers are exposed to a large amount of risk on a daily basis. According to 2019 data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the agricultural sector is the most dangerous in America. While most dairy farmers accept the risk involved in the profession and enjoy working with their hands, farm safety should still be a top priority on dairy operations to help protect families and employees. As we approach the fall harvest season, Dr. Florence Becot from Penn State University shares the top three farm safety risks – and how we can be proactive with simple precautions that could save a life.

To receive weekly dairy market updates via email each week, click here to subscribe and get the updates sent to you at no cost each week.

Send us a text

In this month's episode, Kathleen Noble Wolfley and Bryce Windecker from Ever.Ag explored market factors that are influencing feed price and shared strategies to help farmers mitigate feed price risk. They gave an update on key feed commodity markets, including corn, soybean meal, canola and cottonseed. They also shared a deep dive into basis trends in the Northeast and ways for livestock producers to manage feed risk.

To receive weekly dairy market updates via email each week, click here to subscribe and get the updates sent to you at no cost each week.

Send us a text

If you’ve been wondering about the changes released in the FARM 5.0 Program and how they impact dairy producers, Beverly Hampton Phifer, Senior Director of Animal Care from the National Dairy FARM Program, joined us to talk through key changes and updates. From animal care standards to best practices for human resources, farm safety and overall workforce development, Beverly Hampton Phifer gave a detailed overview of some of these standards and how they can be part of producers’ day-to-day risk management strategies. With new versions (Version 5.0) of the Animal Care and Workforce Development Programs just released on July 1, 2024, she reviewed some of the key updates and how they impact dairy producers — including updates focused on refining and clarifying previous standards surrounding euthanasia, fitness for transport, calf management, and continuing education among others.

To receive weekly dairy market updates via email each week, click here to subscribe and get the updates sent to you at no cost each week.

Send us a text

In our June "Protecting Your Profits" discussion, facilitated by Valerie Mason-Faith, Risk Education Manager at the Center, we featured Kathleen Noble Wolfley and Colin Kadis from Ever.Ag. They provide an overview of April’s Pennsylvania Scorecard numbers, Class III and Class IV prices and futures, milk production dynamics, domestic demand, dairy exports, macro markets, and Dairy Revenue Protection.

To receive weekly dairy market updates via email each week, click here to subscribe and get the updates sent to you at no cost each week.