Here’s an update on news impacting your dairy as October 2024 comes to an end.

In the news this past week, HPAI has been confirmed in three California dairy herds, and field trials may begin for vaccines to combat the virus.

Roughly 40% of all U.S. dairy farms have non-family member employees, and about 70% of those workers are immigrant employees.

Lower milk production cut into butter inventories in cold storage in August. The tighter supplies are driving prices higher.

The next meeting of the Federal Reserve Board’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) is scheduled for Sept. 19-20.

Following the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) proposed guidance allowing plant-based beverages to use "milk” in labels and marketing, multiple dairy state lawmakers have introduced a bill to nullify it.

Digest highlights
• FARM Program seeks comments for Animal Care Version 5 revisions
• ‘Dairy’ major recipient in first round of USDA ‘climate-smart’ project funding
• Darigold building $600 million dairy protein, butter facility
• Checkoff competition focuses on calming benefits