The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed a third human case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5) virus infection. The USDA is adding an additional $824 million in emergency funding to continue to provide critical rapid response activities and is launching a pilot program to give dairy producers more testing options prior to interstate movement of dairy cattle.

If used for the right purposes and managed well, debt can be a great tool for increasing profits. However, tools can be misused. Just like using pliers to pound in a nail usually doesn’t work so well, debt can be a double-edged sword that is a drag on profitability.

The dairy landscape is seeing rapid, much-welcomed improvements as milk markets rallied in May with Class III futures surpassing $20 per hundredweight (cwt), $4 above April’s prices. Coupled with feed costs receding, dairy margins are looking better for the remainder of the year.

Here’s an update on interest rates from quarter four of 2023 and quarter one of 2024 as reported by four Federal Reserve districts that share data impacting dairy finances.

Dairy producers in non-major dairy states will notice a change to how their Dairy-Revenue Protection (Dairy-RP) insurance coverage is determined.

The USDA’s World Ag Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report offers forecasts for dairy, beef and feedstuffs.