Policy, Marketing and Markets

Wisconsin dairy producers have access to several price risk management tools, which fall into two broad categories: federally subsidized insurance programs and market-based tools.

The Dairy Forward Pricing Program is a voluntary federal risk-management tool that authorizes milk handlers regulated under Federal Milk Marketing Orders to enter forward price contracts with milk producers or their cooperative associations.

This milk market overview serves as a primer for interpreting supply, trade, and price signals across global dairy markets. The framework provided in this article helps producers, lenders, and industry audiences interpret market conditions.

Two dairy products are having a moment, and for much the same reason: consumers want more protein from whole, recognizable foods. This article explains why whey protein costs more and cottage cheese keeps selling out. (June 2026)

On March 11, 2026, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) opened a Section 301 investigation into sixteen of the country’s largest trading partners. Although dairy is not a primary target of the investigation, the response from foreign governments may still impact the industry.

Initially introduced as a campaign to offset production surplus and seasonal economic strains, June Dairy Month has broadened well beyond its original purpose to celebrate dairy products, producers, nutrition and more.

This article describes how LGM-Dairy works, what it covers, how the premium and subsidy are structured, and the key rule changes that take effect for the 2026 and succeeding crop years.

In Wisconsin, interpretation of the milk check matters because most of the state’s milk supply is used to make manufactured dairy products, and is priced under multiple component pricing in the Upper Midwest Federal Milk Marketing Order.

Through the first quarter of 2026, Class III and Class IV milk prices diverged substantially. This article walks through the mechanical source of that divergence.

This article explains what an FMMO is, the two core mechanisms that define the system, how minimum formula prices are built, how orders are amended, and who is and is not covered.

This article summarizes the rules and regulatory requirements governing how commodity price assumptions are established and used in farm operating plans and cash-flow budgets for FSA Farm Loan Programs.

This article provides a structured, evidence-based assessment of the regulatory, legal, public health, and market context surrounding raw (unpasteurized) cow’s milk in the United States.

This article provides an overview of the Dairy Margin Coverage program for the 2026 coverage year, with emphasis on program changes implemented for this year and what past margin history implies for risk management decisions.

The session and discuss how Dairy Margin Coverage can be used as an effective risk management tool.

A glass of milk and a cookie may feel like a small gesture, but when repeated across millions of homes nationwide, this familiar Christmas Eve tradition quietly represents weeks—even months—of milk production.

This article presents current conditions in the U.S. dairy sector as of June 2025, drawing on insights from market sentiment and recent information.