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Milk, Dairy and Grain Market Commentary
The cheese markets soared. CME spot Cheddar blocks leapt 11.25ȼ to $1.93 per pound, their highest price since January. Barrels followed hot on their tail, climbing 11ȼ to $1.88. The widely anticipated increase in U.S. cheese output is underway, but the ramp up has been slower than expected. Cheese buyers who were waiting for heavy supplies and lower prices to lock in their summer needs are now scrambling to get their hands on some product. USDA’s Dairy Market News notes that
16 minutes ago4 min read


Quota Hearing & Producer Review Board Meeting Recap
There were two meetings held about quota on Monday, May 5, 2025, in Modesto. The first meeting at 10 a.m. was a hearing called by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) to receive testimony on the STOP QIP Petition #5, which seeks to hold a referendum...
May 97 min read


Milk, Dairy and Grain Market Commentary
The bulls feasted this week on news of booming U.S. dairy exports and signs that American dairy remains attractive to foreign buyers. Tuesday’s Global Dairy Trade (GDT) auction served as an appetizer. Buyers bid up nearly all products. Compared to the late-April auction, whole milk powder prices climbed 6.2% while Cheddar jumped 12%. Both products notched three-year highs. Not to be outdone, butter rallied 3.8% to its highest-ever price at the GDT. And lactose values leapt 16
May 94 min read


Milk, Dairy and Grain Market Commentary
Ailing domestic consumption and dimming export prospects have weighed on dairy commodity values, and in turn, milk prices. The April Class III price was announced this week at $17.48/cwt. while Class IV came in at $17.92/cwt., representing the first time since October 2021 that both prices were below $18. Modest relief may be on the way as futures markets currently predict that both Class III and Class IV values will improve slightly later in the year.
May 24 min read


Milk, Dairy and Grain Market Commentary
Every week, U.S. dairy producers send about 10,000 fewer milk cows to beef packers than they used to. That’s slowly adding up to more cows in the barn. Even so, dairy cow head counts are not as high as previously thought. After its quarterly survey, USDA trimmed its estimates of January and February milk cow inventories. The agency pegged the herd at...
Apr 253 min read
Outdated Water Regulations: A Call for Action
Despite the fact that California has very full Northern California reservoirs and plenty of capacity in the major aqueducts and space to store water south of the delta, the state and federal delta pumping plants sit virtually idle, allowing tens of thousands of acre-feet of fresh water to flow out to the ocean every day. As the Water Blueprint for the San Joaquin Valley pointed...
Apr 252 min read


Milk, Dairy and Grain Market Commentary
The cheese markets moved from strength to strength after the early-spring selloff energized exports. U.S. cheese is the cheapest in the world, and shipments to key markets – including Mexico and South Korea – remained formidable through February. USDA’s Dairy Market News reports that, more recently, export orders have been stronger than expected, as Mexican buyers have not been deterred by trade war uncertainty. American exporters are hustling to move cheese abroad, which has
Apr 183 min read


Milk, Dairy and Grain Market Commentary
Spring has sprung and the resurgence of allergies isn’t the only sign of the season. Milk volumes are also expanding in most regions as the spring flush moves across the country. Seasonal increases are compounding milk volumes that are growing year over year both in liquid terms and in component values. As a result, milk supplies are plentiful in most parts of the U.S. Demand from bottlers has generally been upbeat, especially as many educational institutions are wrapping up
Apr 114 min read


Milk, Dairy and Grain Market Commentary
Tariff drama took center stage again this week as the long-awaited “Liberation Day” arrived. Speaking from the Rose Garden, President...
Apr 44 min read
California Dairy Sustainability Summit Includes Dairy Water Panel
A well-attended panel discussion on water for dairy operations was part of the program for the California Dairy Sustainability Summit...
Mar 288 min read


Milk, Dairy and Grain Market Commentary
Dairy producers are doing all they can to keep their barns and milk tanks full, and it shows. In the week ending March 15, they sent just...
Mar 283 min read


Milk, Dairy and Grain Market Commentary
The days are getting longer and milk production is climbing. It’s officially spring. The Midwest welcomed in the new season with a few...
Mar 214 min read


Milk, Dairy and Grain Market Commentary
The dairy markets are adjusting to the new regime. Trade threats – and new tariffs on U.S. dairy exports to Canada and China – have...
Mar 143 min read
SGMA Roundup
Semitropic Water Storage District in Kern County approved paying its share of the planning and permitting cost for the delta tunnel this...
Mar 144 min read


Milk, Dairy and Grain Market Commentary
Like a teenager in a bad relationship, U.S. tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico are on-again, off-again, and then changing their...
Mar 74 min read


CDFA Announces Plans for Referendum to Terminate QIP
On February 21, the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) announced that it is their intention to schedule a referendum...
Feb 281 min read


Milk, Dairy and Grain Market Commentary
Red ink flooded Chicago this week. The dairy markets suffered a deluge of data and news that invigorated the bears. The trade war heated up.
Feb 285 min read


Milk, Dairy and Grain Market Commentary
U.S. milk production may have changed its tune. After slipping in the final months of 2024, output appears to have grown in January,
Feb 214 min read
Kern Subbasin Probationary Hearing Scheduled for February 20
I attended two separate Kern Subbasin GSA board meetings this past week. The Kern folks are ready for their hearing. A tremendous amount...
Feb 151 min read
Pumping 1/100th of Available Water: A Case Study in Regulatory Constraints
On February 10, 2025, flows from the Sacramento River through the Delta were increasing following a series of storms in Northern California.
Feb 153 min read
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