Dairy Report: Value of U.S. Dairy Exports Up, Blue Bell Pleads Guilty

Dairy Report 051220

A bit of good news for the dairy industry, both the volume and value of U.S. dairy exports were up in March over last year. It represents the seventh straight month of positive growth.

March U.S. export volume was up 2% to more than 190,000 metric tons. That's the highest level since May 2018. The value of the exports was 592 million, up 10% from a year ago. On a total milk solids basis, exports represented just over 15% of U.S. milk production.

Blue Bell Pleads Guilty

You may remember a listeria outbreak involving Blue Bell ice cream that left three people dead.

  Now, Blue Bell Creameries has agreed to plead guilty to two misdemeanors. It will also pay 19.3 million dollars in fines. Contaminated ice cream was linked to 10 listeria cases in four states, with the three deaths happening in Kansas.

Federal prosecutors say the fines are the second largest ever paid in a food-safety case.

Tags

Dairy - General Dairy Trade
 

Latest News

Business
Seven Common Threads of Top-Producing Herds
Seven Common Threads of Top-Producing Herds

What are the common characteristics of top-producing herds that best the competition?

Maureen Hanson
Policy
APHIS To Require Electronic Animal ID for Certain Cattle and Bison
APHIS To Require Electronic Animal ID for Certain Cattle and Bison

APHIS issued its final rule on animal ID that has been in place since 2013, switching from solely visual tags to tags that are both electronically and visually readable for certain classes of cattle moving interstate.

Greg Henderson
Education
What Should You Financially Consider Before Investing in Technology?
What Should You Financially Consider Before Investing in Technology?

With financial challenges facing dairy farms, Curtis Gerrits with Compeer Financial, says it is essential for producers to evaluate how these technology investments impact their farm’s overall financial position.

Karen Bohnert
Business
Fairlife Forms New Partnership with Olympic Gold Medalist Katie Ledecky
Fairlife Forms New Partnership with Olympic Gold Medalist Katie Ledecky

The Katie Ledecky partnership with fairlife's Core Power will leverage her authentic recovery moments to help educate and inspire athletes of all levels around the importance of post-workout recovery.

Taylor Leach
Education
Simple Breathing Exercises for Farmers to Help with Anxiety and Stress
Simple Breathing Exercises for Farmers to Help with Anxiety and Stress

More and more people in the dairy community are struggling because they are overworked or overstressed, have trouble concentrating, feel fatigued, have trouble sleeping, have more headaches and so many other symptoms. 

Karen Bohnert
Education
Properly Prepared Beef Remains Safe; Meat Institute Calls For Guidance to Protect Workers at Beef Facilities
Properly Prepared Beef Remains Safe; Meat Institute Calls For Guidance to Protect Workers at Beef Facilities

The Meat Institute said properly prepared beef remains safe to eat and called for USDA and the CDC to provide worker safety guidance specific to beef processors to ensure workers are protected from infection.

North American Meat Institute
View More