By  E. W. Lang

There was little price movement on dairy commodities this week.  Blocks were down two cents, barrel cheese was down three cents per lb.  Butter gained one cent, non-fat dry milk was steady. Whey actually moven a little, three cents per lb. to close at 60 cents, so thats five percent.

Class III milk futures average $24.45 per cwt. for the months of April, May and June.  Thats down a dime from last week.  Class IV averages are down six cents. 

USDA has announced the all milk price for March at $25.90 per cwt. Thats seems like a very profitable price at which to produce milk, but...once feed prices are taken out the Dairy Margin Coverage level is only $11.55 per cwt.  Government milk subsidies kick in at $9.50 so $11.55 is only a modestly higher margin by comparison. 

The Wisconsin Spring Dairy Show was in Madison this weekend.  The Holstein, Red and White and Jersey breeds work in concert to have a jointly managed and executed show.  It would seem that the Brown Swiss breed would benefit by being a part of this exhibition.  There may be some savings in venue costs on a per-head basis.  And with the Brown Swiss Office in Wisconsin, and a significant breed presence in the state, there could be some additional personell to stage the show. 

Scheduling show ring time could be difficult since the Red and White and Jersey shows use up a lot of daylight, and the Holstein Show is huge. There may be some way to have an evening show for a breed on a rotating basis in the manner of the North American in Louisville.   

The benefit to Brown Swiss breeders is greater physical acceptance into the monied interests of the show ring.  The many professional show stock producers and herds would likely add Swiss to their inventory since the Wisconsin Spring and Summer Shows bring in customers, or so this is my theory.  

There will be resistance from both sides of this.  I suspect my seasoned Swiss brethren are likely to resist the mixing of the races in this way, as that is the human nature of each more senior generation.   But the next generation of Swiss breeders and herd owners will need a reason to have registration papers that deliver value.  More exposure to show cow and heifer buyers is a means to that end, regardless of show type's effect on milk production.  

Let us remember that Registered Holstein breeders once shot and burried any red and white calf born on the farm.  Many of us made fun of the little Jersey cows with their lockets and polished horns.  Now those three breeds show together to the benefit of breeders and professional show herds.  Brown Swiss are next in line for cow numbers in the U.S. and have a significant presence in some foreign countries.  It seems logical they would benefit by being included.