LRP coverage, implemented consistently, helps to ensure the success of cattle operations and offer peace of mind – regardless of external factors. Though the market has seen historic highs throughout the past 18 months and indicators point to favorable prices in the future, cattle prices are not impenetrable.

Margins appear encouraging with the recent swell in Class III prices and improved feed costs. Cheese exports to Mexico have also been critical for U.S. dairy producers as shipments to China and Southeast Asia have slowed. Yet, with extreme weather conditions and the continued spread of avian influenza, having a strategy to manage risk is essential.

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.

Federal Milk Marketing Order (FMMO) “mailbox” prices averaged about 96 cents per hundredweight (cwt) less than announced average “all-milk” prices in January. It was the widest monthly spread since November 2022.

As predicted, milk prices recovered some in April with Class III at $15.57 per hundredweight (cwt) during the last full week of the month and futures jumping more than $1 for May and June. Unpredictability is still expected in the marketplace, and producers are encouraged to enroll in the Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) safety net program.

Experts identify potential stress areas as production risk, market risk, financial risk, legal risk and human risk. Let’s look at these and identify sources that may alleviate these unknowns from becoming undue stressors.

Milk checks for March milk production should reflect higher Federal Milk Marketing Order (FMMO) prices for all milk classes. The increase could be short-lived.