Dairy Talk: See you at Expo!

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Jim Dickrell

This year is shaping up to be as challenging as 2009. And that’s saying a lot.

Even though milk prices are rising, feed availability will be a challenge for producers across much of the Midwest, and as far east as Pennsylvania. Feed prices will be a challenge for everyone.

In California, the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s July ruling on the whey formula won’t offer much relief—maybe a few cents per cwt.

Plus, at this writing in late July, it remains to be seen whether Speaker of the House John Boehner (R.-Ohio) will allow the farm bill to move.

Boehner has called the dairy stabilization program "Stalinist" and has vowed it will not be in the farm bill. Rep. Bob Goodlatte’s (R.-Va.) dairy amendment—which provides margin insurance on 80% of a producer’s annual production with no market stabilization requirement—is a potential grand compromise.

Given all this uncertainty, dairy producers need—and deserve—a little bit of a mental break. World Dairy Expo, held in Madison, Wis., from Oct. 2 through 6, offers just such a respite.

Expo is, without question, the greatest dairy show in the world. It offers dairymen a chance to see some of the greatest cattle in the world, walk the trade show to see the latest in dairy technology, and learn the latest from experts in seminars and virtual farm tours. Even better, it allows producers to network with their peers from all over the world.

Schedule a few days in early October for World Dairy Expo. I’ll see you there!

 

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