Dairy Information: Protecting Your Profits

The Center for Dairy Excellence offers several information resources to help producers identify opportunities to protect their profits. These documents are reviewed on a monthly “Protecting Your Profits” conference call. Click here herehttp://centerfordairyexcellence.adobeconnect.com/pxmibshlgwna/ to access the latest “Protecting Your Profits” Webinar.

Pennsylvania Dairy Industry Scorecard: The Center for Dairy Excellence publishes a monthly “PA Dairy Industry Performance Scorecard,” which looks at key factors supporting the growth of Pennsylvania’s dairy industry and evaluates trends affecting Pennsylvania’s dairy farms.

  • Dairy cow numbers in Pa are stable at 525,000 cows while the national herd continues to plateau at 9.4 million cows.
  • The Commonwealth’s rolling monthly milk production continues to grow. 10.984 billion pounds of milk in February.
  • Total production in the Commonwealth grew .3% year over year since last February. National production grew 1.8%
  • Pennsylvania’s production per cow grew to 67.3 pounds per cow per day, only .2 pounds more than last February. National production grew to 74.2 pounds per day, also a 1 pound increase.
  • PA’s DHI herd average fell to 22,423 pounds of milk and 1555 pounds of total fat and protein in February. More than 37% of the herds produced at least 1650 pounds of total components.
  • The February Pennsylvania All Milk Price is $3.70 below last year. Feed costs are very similar, netting margins that were $3.66 per hundredweight under last year.
  • The average somatic cell count in PA fell below 200,000 again although it is almost 4 percent higher than last year.
  • Average days in milk continue to drop. Three days less than last year and 6 days less than 2016.
  • Pregnancy rates are similar to last year.
  • 50% of Pennsylvania’s DHI herds have a calving age between 21 & 24 months in February compared to 37% in February 2015
  • Cull rates are climbing slowly.

US Dairy Industry Scorecard: To provide an overview the national dairy industry, with consumption, marketing and production trends, the center publishes the monthly “US Dairy Industry Performance” scorecard.

  • The February MPP Margin is $6.88
  • The Pennsylvania MPP margin, calculated with NASS values for milk, corn, alfalfa hay, and a soybean meal value of + $40.00 over the MPP value was $6.46 for the same time period.
  • February slaughter numbers jumped to the highest monthly number since February 2012.
  • Butter stocks are the largest for a February since 1994.
  • Domestic cheese stocks are at record highs for February. The 12 month average is 7 % larger than the three year average.
  • Nonfat Dry milk inventories are 27% larger than they were a year ago.
  • CME butter prices are 23 % under last January, trading significantly lower than other world markets.
  • Federal order Cheddar Cheese prices are similar to last year, 1.4% under  the three-year average price.
  •  AMS Nonfat dry milk powder prices are 15% below last February.
  •  U.S. dairy export volumes were up 19% from last February to reach an all time high for the month.

Alan Zepp, the center’s risk management program manager, reviews both of these scorecards monthly during his “Protecting Your Profits” calls. The calls are held the last Wednesday of every month. Click here to access a recording of the latest call.