Milk prices see cautious optimism
Easing inflation helps producers
Executive summary
A container ship rammed March 26 into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge resulting in the structure’s collapse and the tragic loss of six construction workers. Aside from the everlasting impacts to the families who lost loved ones, the destroyed bridge has physically cut off key coal, cont…
Pet food spending increased almost 12 percent during the past year, according to Circana, primarily driven by price increases. But volume sales decreased 2.7 percent year over year as consumers stretched their pet-food dollar.
The Purdue University-CME Group Ag Economy Barometer increased modestly in February, posting a reading of 111. That was 5 points more than a month earlier. The modest increase in the barometer was attributable to producers expressing somewhat more optimism about the future. The Future Expect…
From 2017 to 2022 the number of farms in the United States declined by 141,733 or 7 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 2022 Census of Agriculture released Feb. 13. Acres operated by farm operations during the same timeframe declined by 20.1 million, a loss equivalent …
Though not a record year, most will agree 2023 was a good year for Wisconsin’s major seaports. With many figures now calculated, ports Duluth-Superior, Green Bay and Milwaukee reported performance that forms a basis for a solid shipping season in 2024.
A sharp decline in the number of dairy heifers available to replace older cows exiting the U.S. dairy herd could limit any meaningful growth in domestic milk production during the next few years. The number of dairy replacement heifers has decreased almost 15 percent during the past six year…
The U.S. Department of Agriculture released Feb. 7 the first insights into net-farm-income expectations for 2024. The latest report anticipates a decrease from 2023’s forecast of $155 billion to $116 billion – a decrease of almost $40 billion or 25.5 percent. It’s the largest recorded year-t…
Farmer sentiment took a downturn at the start of 2024 as the January Purdue University-CME Group Ag Economy Barometer Index decreased to a reading of 106. That’s 8 points less than a month earlier. Compared to year-end, producers had a more negative outlook of farms’ current situations along…
John Heinberg of Total Farm Marketing in West Bend, Wisconsin, said corn is on a slippery slope; demand has decreased 36 percent from the previous year. And soybean demand has decreased 18 percent. The decrease is attributed to China buying less U.S. stock in favor of cheaper products from B…
Chuck Nicholson, associate professor in the University of Wisconsin-Department of Animal & Dairy Sciences, said dairy-farm margins reached a record-poor number in 2023. The decrease in prices was attributed to greater-than-average feed costs. But better butter prices aided a price recovery.
MADISON, Wis. – The 2024 Wisconsin Agricultural Outlook Forum was held Jan. 23 at Union South on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. The annual event – which discusses agricultural economics, forecasting and data – also delved into the topic of rural livability.
U.S. dairy producers are increasingly leveraging science's power to optimize the genetic potential of their herd for milk production, animal health and operational efficiency. Since genomic testing became commercially available in 2008, over 8 million U.S. dairy animals have been genotyped f…
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 2017 Ag Census, about 97 percent of the 2.1 million farms in the United States are considered family farms. And 88 percent of all U.S. farms have a gross cash farm income of less than $350,000 annually, putting them in the small-family-farm c…
Just as weather and war on the other side of the world can influence crop prices, the same factors can affect shipping. As the waterborne-shipping season in Wisconsin is ending, weather at home is also having an effect.
U.S. farmer sentiment changed little in December compared to the preceding month. The Purdue University-CME Group Ag Economy Barometer recorded a reading of 114, just 1 point less than a month earlier. Both sub-indices of the barometer – the Index of Current Conditions and the Index of Futur…
A variety of federal programs exist that help agricultural producers manage risks to yields, revenues and profit margins. The programs vary through time; they provide a diverse suite of options to mitigate risk in a variety of market conditions and production situations. The risk-management …
Editor's note: The first part of CoBank's "Look Ahead to 2024" report was published in the Dec. 21 issue of Agri-View; the second part was published in the Dec. 28 issue.
The U.S. broadband market will continue to be a bright spot for the economy in 2024 thanks to ongoing digitization for enterprises and consumers as well as the deployment of unprecedented amounts of public and private capital. Despite those powerful industry tailwinds, operators face several…
Financial performances of companies during the past year-plus have largely relied upon price increases at the expense of volume sales. That approach is rapidly running out of road, and the limits of price elasticity will further slow increases. Food and beverage prices in 2023 are 25 percent…
From farm to table, challenges abound for the animal-protein segment – most notably increasing input costs. Some prices of inputs such as corn and soybean meal are now easing but we expect other costs will continue to deter expansion plans. Moreover we expect the industry’s focus on efficien…
The upside potential for dairy demand faces some question marks moving into the new year. Dairy’s product sales should grow, led by natural cheese, butter and yogurt. But that growth will be at a slightly slower pace than the previous year. U.S. consumers will be pressured by reduced househo…
The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the ratification of the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1992, the creation of the World Trade Organization in 1995 and China’s accession to it in 2001 appeared to set the stage for a decisive and final global victory for the political ideals o…