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. To access the latest call, click here or click on the links below to review the documents.

Pennsylvania Dairy Industry Performance 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.

  • Pennsylvania’s milk production is just under last February with 3,000 fewer cows while national production grew .9 per cent.
  • February’s Milk Margins are 56% above last January and the highest since 2007 with feed costs 19% below last year.
  • The average pregnancy rate is 1% higher than it was 2 years ago.
  • 58% of Pennsylvania’s DHIA herds had somatic cell countsunder 200,000 in February.

Protecting Your Profits Scorecard:To provide an overview of the national dairy industry, with consumption, marketing and production trends, the center publishes the monthly “Protecting Your Profits” scorecard.

  • March prices for the Federal Order Class I Mover, Class II, Class III, and Class IV milk continue at record levels yielding record margins.
  • Cow numbers have remained steady for the past six months while slaughter number are also high but similar to last February .
  •  The value of February’s dairy exports was 25% over February 2013.
  • Butter inventories increased from last month, but they are still 68 % below last year and 16% below their 3 year average. Cheese inventories are steady at – 3.3% of the 3 year average while Non Fat Dry Milk stocks have recovered to 8% over the 3 year average..
  • International  prices for cheese and skim milk powder continue to hold over $2.00 / lb, more than 20% above the three year average price.
  • Domestic and International butter prices have softened.
  • CME prices for block cheese, barrel cheese,and nonfat dry milk are all 2% above their 3 year average and still over the $2.00 / lb threshold.

Alan'-photo-colorAlan 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.