Dairy Industry News

Changes in Farm Support Requirements Rejected

The House Agriculture Committee on Wednesday rejected President Barack Obama’s proposals to reduce crop subsidies to higher-income farmers and federal support for crop insurance.

The 2008 Farm Bill is the first to deny benefits to the wealthiest Americans. It says crop subsidies will go to people with no more than $500,000 a year in adjusted gross income (AGI) from off-farm sources or $750,000 on-farm AGI.

The administration wanted to lower the income cut-off over three years to $250,000 off-farm AGI and $500,000 on-farm AGI. Some 30,000 people would be affected. The White House also proposed a $30,000 cap on the annual direct-payment subsidy, down from the current $40,000, and cuts in federal subsidies to the privately run crop insurance system. For more detail click

here.

Dramatic Reduction in 2009 Dairy Exports

Following a record-setting export year in 2008, the global economic recession caused world demand for dairy products to decline in 2009. Following a 24% decrease in dairy export volume through the first three quarters of 2009, exports surged in the fourth quarter to finish the year down only 16 percent. The total export volume of non-fluid products was 2.55 billion pounds. The total value of exports was $2.24 billion, a 40-percent decline compared to 2008.  For a summary click

here.

U.S. Cheese Production Tops 10 Bil. Lbs.

US total cheese production
during 2009 was a record-high
10.105 bil. lbs., up 1.7%,
or 170.3 mil. lbs., from
2008, and the first time ever that US
cheese output topped the 10-billionpound
mark.  
Last year marked the 18th straight
year that US cheese production set a
new record high.   The last time
cheese output actually declined and
didn’t set a record was in 1991.

USDA Looking to Change Crop Insurance Subsidies

The Obama administration wants to save billions of dollars by putting new limits on farm
subsidies and cutting back on government support for crop-insurance companies, according to
the fiscal year 2011 budget proposal released Monday by the White House.  For more detail click here.

Corn Prices Set to Rebound on Ethanol Demand, Economic Recovery

In spite of recent reductions in corn prices, some analysts say the move is only a temporary setback with an economic recovery under way and ethanol demand increasing.  For the full story click
here.

Wisconsin Farm Bureau Against Supply Managment

The consensus of farmers at the recent American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) annual meeting in Seattle, Wash., was that they didn’t want supply management for the dairy industry.  Bill Bruins, president of the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation, said the national discussion mirrored the outcome of a policy discussion Wisconsin Farm Bureau delegates had last month.  For more detail click here.

U.S. DOJ Sues Dean Foods

The U.S. Department of Justice along with the Attorney’s General of WI, IL and MI have filed an antitrust lawsuit against Dean Foods Company in regards to it purchase of two bottling plants in WI from Foremost Farms. The full filing can be found by clicking here.

Dec. Milk Production Report Released

The December Milk Production report was released today by NASS. The full report can be downloaded by clicking here.   This report shows an initial estimate that the 2009 annual U.S. milk production level was 0.4% lower than the annual 2008 production level.

Status of Wisconsin Agriculture Report Released

The Annual Status of Wisconsin Agriculture was released this afternoon.  The report can be downloaded by clicking here.