News

Dairy markets rebound

A bit of a bounce in the cash cheese market ahead of the three-day weekend. Cash barrels increased 7 cents while blocks added 5.75 cents.  No trading on Friday in observance of Good Friday, the markets will reopen on Monday.

For the week, cash cheese barrels up 17.75 cents, blocks up 11 cents, butter down 8 cents while nonfat dry milk lost 4.25 cents. Class III futures for April increased 19 cents, May up 64 cents, June increased 32 cents and October added 12 cents.

Dairy Market News says even with the high milk prices, processors in the Midwest are seeing an increase in the number of retirements in small to medium-sized producers. Some may be running out of forage but the bigger factor seems to be with great cow, heifer and even slaughter cow prices…this is a good time to sell-out. Dairy cow slaughter for the week ending March 29th was 57,700 head down 5,300 from the same week a year ago.

Milk production is up from the Northeast to the Southeast, Florida exported 100 loads this week.