🐔 HPAI in California 🍔 Dairy x Beef unlikely to impact markets 🧈 Butter sculptures of 2024
2024-09-06
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Markets & Marketing
Dairy x beef calves unlikely to impact market (2 minute read)
The number of dairy cows has historically remained steady, as has their contribution to the beef calf crop; the dairy industry contributes around one-quarter of all beef calves. Traditionally, these have been straight-bred dairy animals that suffered heavy discounts due to their carcass characteristics. Many dairies have adopted the use of beef semen to take advantage of the higher prices that crossbred calves are bringing. It is unlikely that the beef-on-dairy trend will have a significant impact on the beef markets, as they are not additional calves entering the market - they’re replacing straight-bred dairy calves - and are not impacting total beef production.
Decreasing Chinese milk production expected to sustain global price pressure (1 minute read)
As with many other dairy producing nations, Chinese milk production has declined recently due to increasing costs. Stefan Vogel, General Manager of Rabobank Research for Australasia, predicts that these recent decrease in milk output will continue to put upward pressure on global milk prices for the foreseeable future. As global milk supplies tighten, producers should benefit from increasing prices.
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Science, Technology, Data
USDA supports fertilizer innovation (1 minute read)
The USDA awarded $4.67 million to Quality Flow Environmental, LLC to develop a thermochemical manufacturing facility for the production of fertilizer made from cow manure. The award was one of seven, totaling $35 million, under its Fertilizer Production Expansion Program. The Iowa-based company will use a process called torrefaction to transform the waste from a contiguous dairy into a high quality fertilizer product.
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Industry
California becomes 14th state with H5N1 in dairy cows (4 minute read)
Three dairies in California have been confirmed to be affected by HPAI, making it the 14th state to be affected in the ongoing outbreak. Genetic sequencing of the virus showed its appearance is due to movement of cattle (likely from Colorado), not another spillover event from birds.
Fewer cows and higher production has cut U.S. GHG emissions by 42% (2 minute read)
In the last five decades, U.S. dairy farms have decreased greenhouse gas emissions per unit of milk by 42%; milk production has doubled with 30% fewer cows, since the 1970s. At the same time, fossil fuel usage has decreased by 54% per unit of milk. Water usage has decreased by 28% per unit of milk, but blue water usage has increased by 42% as dairies have migrated to more arid regions. Nutrient management has also improved with phosphorus runoff decreasing by 27 to 51%, but ammonia emissions have increased by 27% due to more long-term manure storage.
Idaho Milk Products announces plans for new plant (1 minute read)
Idaho Milk Products has announced plans to add a $200 million, 183,000 square foot ice cream and milk powder blending facility to its Jerome campus. Construction is expected to begin within two months and the facility to be fully online by May 2026.
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Tangents
2024 butter sculptures
Many state fairs have a tradition of creating and displaying a sculpture crafted from butter, here are a few from 2024: