2025 winter brought forth unprecedented obstacles with massive accumulations of wet, dense snow to UpState New York. This was too much for Insight Dairy, as on February 16, one of their freestall barns collapsed from the weight of this winter’s precipitation.

Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins kicked off the 2025 Top Producer Summit on Tuesday morning, detailing her plan to advocate for trade. ‘We want to find market access for all our products,’ Rollins said.

Dairy owners are challenged to rethink their management strategies and create a workplace that maximizes the return on investment by ensuring employees are contributing at their highest level.

Spearheaded by National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett and USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins, the plan prioritizes enhanced biosecurity measures and medication to control the spread of the virus and moves away from mass culling of infected flocks.

Among the secretary’s first public appearances since being confirmed last week, the fireside chat on Tuesday, Feb. 18, will cover key topics driving the future of agriculture.

Dairy markets weren’t feeling the love today, with both Class III and Class IV mostly moving lower.