This time on The Milk Check, we welcome a leading mind in international trade policy and personal friend of the podcast. Jaime Castaneda is senior vice president of policy strategy and international trade for the… Listen here
PODCASTS
Behind the scenes with Jacoby’s dairy traders, part two
On this two-part edition of The Milk Check, listeners get a seat at the table during our mass balance report meeting, held after the release of monthly milk production numbers. Our traders gather to evaluate the… Listen here
Behind the scenes with Jacoby’s dairy traders, part one
On this two-part edition of The Milk Check, listeners get a seat at the table during our mass balance report meeting, held after the release of monthly milk production numbers. Our traders gather to evaluate the… Listen here
New normals for a dairy lobbyist
The Milk Check welcomes guest J. David Carlin to discuss the role of dairy lobbyists in Washington, how they’ve adjusted to the pandemic and industry outlooks during the Biden administration. Carlin is the International Dairy… Listen here
COVID has changed consumer behavior. Is it permanent?
Did you rediscover the joy of cooking this year? You’re not alone. There’s no doubt that dairy consumer behaviors have changed in the COVID era. Who does it help and who does it hurt? Who… Listen here
Why the Federal Orders curtail competition and squeeze America’s dairy farmers
We’re no strangers to criticizing the Federal Order system. We find a way to do it almost every episode. But this month, we’re devoting the entire conversation to the fact that the regulatory framework in… Listen here
From the outhouse to the penthouse and back again
You’d only need one look at recent history on the CME to see the rollercoaster that has been spot cheddar prices. In this episode, T3 notes the collision of around a half-dozen contributing factors to… Listen here
“A couple of weird months” ahead for dairy markets
The last few weeks have been some of the strangest for an industry in the midst of its weirdest year in memory. Listen as Ted, T3 and Anna get to the bottom of why spot… Listen here
The dairy industry chases its tail
Volatility continues to permeate the dairy industry as the world economy contemplates a return to “normal.” CME spot cheddar is the most pronounced example, having rocketed up to $2.40 at the time this recording. Why?… Listen here
Is USDA’s proposed COVID-19 dairy assistance enough?
Help is on the way for dairy farmers who were forced to dump milk as COVID-19 continues to jostle the industry. But does the USDA’s proposed assistance go far enough? And, is Washington relying on… Listen here
COVID-19 could cause “an unbelievable shock” for dairy
As the COVID-19 crisis wears on, its effects on the dairy industry have become more acute. Will producers be forced to dump milk for a lack of buyers? Should the government step in to prop… Listen here
COVID-19: A lot left to learn
As the global COVID-19 outbreak continues to disrupt life as we know it, the dairy industry knows only one thing for sure: There’s a lot left to learn about the impact the pandemic will have… Listen here
Is USDA’s Dairy Revenue Protection program a good deal for farmers?
It’s less than a year and a half old, but the USDA’s new Dairy Revenue Protection program has already led farmers across the U.S. to hedge an estimated 12% of the national milk supply. Blimling… Listen here
Cheddar block futures contracts are coming to the CME
In this episode, Ted and T3 are joined by Eric Meyer, President of HighGround Dairy in Chicago. Eric explains the CME’s new block cheddar futures contracts, which will begin trading on Jan. 13. The panel… Listen here
The Milk Check interviews DMI’s Tom Gallagher
A special guest joins The Milk Check this month: Tom Gallagher, CEO of Dairy Management, Inc. Ted, T3 and Anna ask about how DMI allocates the funds it collects from the Dairy Checkoff program; Gallagher… Listen here
These market anomalies are worth watching
As the industry preps for the holiday buying season and looks forward to 2020, some abnormal market conditions—both domestically and internationally—caught our attention. Ted, T3 and Anna discuss market anomalies that might set the tone… Listen here
Killing off minimum price under the order—too controversial?
What would happen if Federal Milk Marketing Orders’ minimum price provisions were eliminated? Would it increase returns to dairy farmers? And even if it did, would it wreak too much havoc in the industry to… Listen here
Feed, milk production, market psychology and more: A conversation about everything
It’s a traditionally slow month for the dairy industry, so Ted and T3 take a whirlwind tour of the state of the industry. Topics include potentially bad crop yields, slowing milk production, the trade situation… Listen here
Should dairy farmers be concerned about milk without a cow?
Recent advances in gene editing technology have made the production of dairy proteins in lab settings viable and potentially scalable. If the techniques can scale cost-effectively, and if consumers buy in, the dairy industry as… Listen here
Does dairy product marketing need an overhaul?
In a follow-up from our previous episode, Ted, T3 and Anna discuss the state of dairy product marketing. Plant-based milk alternatives are on the rise. Fluid milk sales have been in decline for decades. Is… Listen here
Consumer expectations are changing. How does dairy fit in?
Changing consumer expectations pose one of the most dynamic challenges facing today’s dairy industry. More and more, consumers seek organic products from smaller farms in pursuit of healthier food. The irony? Newer, larger dairy farms… Listen here
SPECIAL REPORT: African swine fever virus
In this special episode, Ted and T3 enlist the help of Richard Bradfield, General Manager of St. Louis-based International Ingredients Corporation, to discuss the impacts of the African swine fever virus on dairy ingredient export… Listen here
Caution: Optimism ahead
So far, milk production across the eastern U.S. is trending downward. Cheese prices are strengthening. The pieces are in place for an industry-wide recovery. Will it happen? Also, Ted, T3 and Anna answer some questions… Listen here
Can a minimum milk price work?
In this episode of The Milk Check, Ted, T3 and Anna tackle a persistent question in the dairy industry: Would it be feasible to set a minimum milk price for producers? We want to know… Listen here
Where has all the milk gone?
Milk production is down in the eastern half of the U.S., tightening markets nationwide as surplus milk is pulled eastward from western dairies. Ted, T3 and Anna discuss what it could mean for stressed dairy… Listen here
Why you should care about the block-barrel spread
Ted, T3 and Anna talk through the problems caused by chronically high milk supplies before diving into a discussion on why the widening block-barrel spread hurts dairy farmers. Anna: Welcome to “The Milk Check,” a podcast… Listen here
The California FMMO
Things are changing in California, where around one-fifth of the milk in the U.S. is produced. Starting Nov. 1, the state’s independent milk marketing order will cease, giving over to the country’s newest Federal Milk… Listen here
First look: USMCA
Late last month, trade authorities of the U.S., Mexico and Canada have finally agreed to an updated trade deal dubbed the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Act. In Part 1 of a two-part episode, we enlist the help of… Listen here
“Here’s what scares me.”
Is there a structural problem plaguing the dairy industry? In this discussion, Ted, T3 and Anna dig into some fundamental changes in the way Americans are eating that spell bad news for the supply side… Listen here
Dairy’s biggest challenge isn’t what you think
While the American dairy industry is collectively obsessed with trade wars and tariffs, that’s not the biggest elephant in the room. Ted and T3 look past the headlines to discuss the trend that could have… Listen here
Making sense of Mexican tariffs on U.S. cheese exports
The dairy industry has been worried since the Mexican government placed tariffs on U.S.-made cheeses in early June. Ted, T3 and Anna welcome Yara Morales to The Milk Check. Yara, who is Director of Sales… Listen here
Markets are stronger, but “careful is the watchword”
Dairy markets are getting stronger, and dairy farmers are earning higher paychecks as a result. Ted and T3 welcome Vice President of Powder Sales Jeff Johnson to The Milk Check to help project how much… Listen here
What will tariffs mean for the dairy industry?
In this bonus episode, Ted and T3 tackle tariffs. Specifically, they discuss how the exchange of tariffs between the U.S. and China could impact the American dairy industry. Ted cites lessons learned during the Great… Listen here
To stay in business or sell out?
Milk prices are climbing back up from their low point in February, prompting Ted and T3 to predict how high prices need to get before dairy farmers on the fence about staying in business decide… Listen here
Optimism amid mixed signals
Some “ugliness” in dairy product markets remains, but Anna, Ted and T3 discuss how it’s not as bad as it could have been. Higher EU cheese prices bode well for the U.S. Butter prices aren’t… Listen here
Disappearing demand
Markets remain sluggish. Anna, Ted and T3 discuss whether that’s partly due to a retrenchment in demand for dairy products. Ted and T3 believe milk checks are as low as they’re going to get, and… Listen here
The prognosis for 2018
Anna, Ted and T3 shift gears to 2018, forecasting the impact on the industry in a time of oversupply. Ted and T3 predict milk production will have to drop off before prices recover and farmers… Listen here
Recapping 2017
In our first episode, host Anna Donze, Ted Jacoby Jr. and Ted Jacoby III (we’ll call them Ted and T3 from now on) recap movements in dairy markets in 2017. It was an abnormal year… Listen here