Dairy Report: Free School Lunches Helping Offset Dairy Supplies

The USDA has extended the program to allow all schools to offer free breakfast and lunch to students. This is also helping eat into U.S. dairy supplies. The program allows students from across the country to eat school meals for free and Rabo AgriFinace’s Ben Laine says that program, along with the fact that most students are back in person this school year, are helping offset high dairy production levels this year.

“Now that we’ve got more kids actually physically standing in that lunch line picking up that milk, it’s going to be a benefit to fluid milk,” Laine says. “It’s going to be a benefit to clearing up some of that aspect of dairy production, and that’s helped relieve some of the surplus milk that we were dealing with a couple of months ago as school started ramping up. As the milk stream started moving towards that school lunch program, that’s what helped pull us away from some of the high levels of cheese production that we’ve seen kind of starting to get at risk of being a little too heavy. So, I think the school lunch program is useful for pulling some of that surplus milk away.”

Another boost is in the form of what type of milk is being offered in school. Nearly a year and a half ago, the USDA reinstated low-fat flavored milk as an option in school. The International Dairy Foods Association told AgDay that continuing to offer 1% chocolate and other flavored milks is included in the continuing resolution bill in congress.

 

Whole vs. Low-Fat

It’s been an age-old debate in dairy. Which is better for kids? – Low-fat or whole milk? A new study is shedding some light. It says that for kids there’s little to no difference between the two options.

Researchers from Edith Cowan University concluded that whole-fat milk is just as good for kids low-fat milk. They tracked 49 children between the ages of four and six for three months. One group was low-fat dairy while the other was given whole-fat dairy products. The groups had no idea which category they were consuming.

The researchers then assessed each child’s obesity, body composition and blood pressure. They say kids assigned to low-fat dairy had fewer calories consumed, but often compensated by eating more of other foods. They concluded eating both forms of dairy showed no significant differences to both cardiovascular health and obesity.

 

Latest News

February Milk Production Report Shows Lackluster Numbers
February Milk Production Report Shows Lackluster Numbers

Comparing a leap year versus a non-leap year in 2023, February milk production was up 2.4%. However, on a per-day basis, production was down 1.1%. Milk cows totaled 9.3 million head, down 89,000 compared to a year ago.

APHIS Now Thinks Wild Birds Are to Blame for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza's Arrival on Four U.S. Dairies
APHIS Now Thinks Wild Birds Are to Blame for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza's Arrival on Four U.S. Dairies

The livestock industry continues to grapple with the first confirmed cases of HPAI in cattle, while federal and state agencies continue to assure consumers there's no concern about the safety of the U.S. milk supply.

Success is All in the Details at Kansas Dairy Development
Success is All in the Details at Kansas Dairy Development

Kansas Dairy Development provides temporary housing for up to 80,000 head of cattle — from a few days old to springers nearly ready to calve. Their formula for success is all in the details.

Skills Survey Reveals U.S. Agriculture & Food Industry Workforce Needs and Gaps
Skills Survey Reveals U.S. Agriculture & Food Industry Workforce Needs and Gaps

U.S. employers report challenges in finding suitable job candidates with work-ready skills to fill open roles in ag. The AgCareers.com U.S. Skills Survey offers insights, data and trends to address skill development.

Built Out of Love: How Two Sisters Created a Super-Fast-Growing Yogurt Company
Built Out of Love: How Two Sisters Created a Super-Fast-Growing Yogurt Company

Travel to the rolling hills of Pennsylvania, and you’ll meet Hayley and Stephanie Painter who not only made the Forbes 30 under 30 list, but have also created one of the fastest growing yogurt company in the U.S.

"Boring" Technology Will Reshape Dairy Over the Next 10 Years
"Boring" Technology Will Reshape Dairy Over the Next 10 Years

Once a technology becomes a boring experience it means it has become proven, well-adopted, and easy to utilize. There are three "boring" technologies silently shaping the industry.