Dairy Farmers of America officials reported in a meeting March 20 that net milk sales decreased from $14.7 billion in 2017 to $13.6 billion in 2018, primarily due to lower milk prices. The all U.S. milk price averaged $16.20 per hundredweight in 2018 compared with $17.65 in 2017.
Some Wisconsin dairy farmers are pushing for an increase in milk prices and endorsing a National Farmers Organization proposal that, following federal government approval, would allow farmers to receive an additional $4 per 100 pounds of milk (or about 12 gallons) of milk they produce each month, up to 1 million pounds. Supplementary production would be sold more cheaply, according to The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
However, Wisconsin dairy farming Dairy Task Force 2.0 voted earlier in March to not endorse the pricing system, with members stating the proposal could make it more difficult to compete internationally and denying a free market system with simple pricing.
