By  E. W. Lang

Dry Whey gained 10% on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange this week to close at 34.75 cents per lb. Most other dairy products fared less well. Butter was down three cents for the week at $1.92. Non-Fat Dry Milk gained four cents at $1.27 per lb.

Block Cheese lost two cents and closed at $1.87 and, wait for it, Barrels lost 12 cents (7%) since last Friday, closing at $1.52 per lb. Barrels are back to were they were on June 6, and off the $2.39 high set on November 6.

Class III Milk Futures for calendar 2020 pretty much run from $17 to $17.70 per cwt., up an average 7 cents from a week ago and despite the losses in cheese price. 2020 Class IV Milk gained two cents and averages $17.82

Spot milk is running $1 to $3.50 under Class, and cream is abundant, according to USDA Dairy Market News.

USDA issued a couple crop reports and no one cared. Corn, Bean, Wheat and Oat stocks were all down, corn and bean production estimates were up and each commodity gained two to six cents. They also said some people still aren't done picking corn, apparently because of Global Climate Anxiety, where it gets either hotter or colder outside, and there is rain, snow or nice weather.

A 500 head high producing Holstein, A.I., parlour/free stall herd went through Premiere Auctions in Withee, Wisc., yesterday. Top cows sold from $1700 to $2700. Good close bred heifers ran from $1200 to $1600 per head

I watched the Turlock, Calif., Video Sale for a few minutes today. One pot of fresh Jerseys, A.I., 1st lac., avg. 53 lbs., sold for $1675 and one pot of fresh, 2nd lac. Jerseys from the same herd sold for the same price, but averaged 71 lbs. Top was $1750 per head for a pot of fresh Holsteins.

Borden Dairy filed for restructuring under Chapter 11 bankruptcy this week, after losing $42 million last year and $15 million the year before. Borden produces 7.4% of the United States' fluid milk. The filing said they owe $6.1 million to Lone Star Milk Producers, $2.7 million to DFA and $2.3 million to Maryland and Virginia. Rumor surfaced that the filing was after creditors wouldn't renegotiate better terms, and in an effort to improve the financial situation for a private equity owner, Acon Investments.

Coca-Cola bought out Select Milk Producers' 47% ownership of Fairlife. 2019 sales of Fairlife were up 20% to $500 million, despite significant bad press from accusations of animal abuse.  That $500 million figure is 3% of market share, which seems significant. 

Hay, straw and stalks at Dyersville, Iowa, this week were generally down $20 per ton, with area cows still out on stalks with no snow. Some additional acres of stalks have been rolled up during the last couple weeks of dry weather.

The 30 Dow Industrials were in record territory for a while this morning. All three major indices closed a third of a percent lower for the day, however. This can also be attributed to Global Climate Anxiety.