THE LAND — APRIL 29/MAY 6, 2022
PAGE 11
www.thelandonline.com — “Where Farm and Family Meet”
Herd expansion unlikely as input prices keep climbing This column was written April 2021. for the marketing week endUnfortunately, butter took ing April 22. a hit, coming in at 145.5 U.S. dairy cow culling million pounds, down 13 jumped in March but fell percent from a year ago, short of a year ago, accordsteepest year over year ing to the U.S. Department decline since August 2016, of Agriculture’s latest according to HighGround Livestock Slaughter report. Dairy. Butter exports were MIELKE MARKET An estimated 297,200 head up 46.3 percent but only WEEKLY were sent to slaughter amounted to 11.2 million under federal inspection, up pounds. By Lee Mielke 30,700 or 11.5 percent Nonfat-skim milk from February; but powder totaled 172.3 5,000 head or 1.7 permillion pounds, down cent below March 2021. 2.2 percent, falling Culling in the first quarter totaled short of the previous year for the 824,600 head, down 20,100 or 2.4 per- fourth consecutive month. cent from the same period a year ago. HighGround Dairy points out while In the week ending April 9, 60,900 domestic disappearance was up from a dairy cows were sent to slaughter, year ago, exports were down 11.5 perdown 100 head from the previous cent — driving the overall decline. week, but 400 or 0.7 percent above a Port congestion issues likely played a year ago. role there. The USDA’s monthly Livestock, Dry whey disappearance totaled 68.6 Dairy, and Poultry Outlook stated, “It’s million pounds, down 5.8 percent, but not clear if dairy herd expansion will was an improvement over 2020’s weak continue throughout the year. Recent performance, according to HighGround input prices for feed, fuel, and fertiliz- Dairy. Dry whey exports were down er have been high. The corn price fore- 20.1 percent from a year ago in cast has been raised as has the soyFebruary. bean meal price forecast.” Powder, cheese, and butter (in that “While milk cows are forecast to order) pulled the April 19 Global average 9.37 million for the first half Dairy Trade auction lower, the third of the year, they are projected to consecutive decline. The weighted decline to 9.365 million in the second average dropped 3.6 percent following half. The annual average forecast the 1 percent slip on April 5, and 0.9 rounds to 9.37 million head, 15,000 percent on March 15. higher than last month’s forecast. The All products offered lost ground. forecast for 2022 average milk per cow Whole milk powder led the declines, was unchanged from last month’s fore- down 4.4 percent, after it fell 1.5 percast of 24,160 pounds per head.” cent on April 5. Skim milk powder foln lowed, down 4.2 percent after inching U.S. dairy product commercial disap- up 1 percent last time. GDT cheddar was down 3.9 percent following a 2.7 pearance showed some weakness in percent jump, and butter was down February. The good news was cheese, 3.7 percent after it slipped 0.6 percent. with American-type up 7.2 percent Anhydrous milkfat was off 1.3 percent from February 2021, and the other following a 2.5 percent drop, and laccheese category up 6.4 percent. Total tose rounded out the losses, down 2.4 cheese disappearance hit 1.1 billion percent. pounds, up 6.8 percent. Exports were up 9.2 percent from a year ago. Lee Mielke is a syndicated columnist who resides in Everson, Wash. His HighGround Dairy points out that weekly column is featured in newspaFebruary was the fifth month in a row pers across the country and he may be that total cheese disappearance topped reached at lkmielke@juno.com. v that of the previous year and was the steepest year-over-year gain since
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