Wednesday, December 3, 2025

Association News

Labor Law Compliance Updates Webinar for 2026

WUD is offering a focused webinar to help dairy producers understand the labor law changes coming in 2026. Attorney Tony Raimondo will break down the new requirements and discuss what farms should be doing now to stay compliant and avoid penalties. This session aims to give farmers practical, actionable guidance as regulations continue to evolve.

Upcoming Kitchen Table Meetings

Board Nomination Deadline Extended—Get Your Forms In!

Our updated Board of Directors nomination form is now available, including a clear breakdown of which directors’ terms are expiring this year and how many seats in each region are open for re-election. Your participation helps keep WUD farmer-led and ensures strong representation across all districts. The nomination deadline has been extended to Tuesday, December 9, 2025. Completed forms may be submitted in person or emailed to norma@wudairies.com.

Download the updated nomination form here

MARKET UPDATE

US milk production continued to grow in October, up 3.7% on the year and in line with expectations for robust output. California output jumped 6.9% against a weak 2024. While the dairy herd decreased 6,000 head on the month, it remained historically large at 9.575 million cows.

New cheese processing plant capacity is coming online, but domestic demand may not be enough to absorb it all. Lower EU prices are providing stiff export competition. Spot blocks fell to the mid-$1.40s and barrels tumbled to the $1.50-per-pound mark, both levels last seen in April 2024.

The CME butter market is keeping up its familiar dance: rising, dropping to new lows, then repeating the cycle. Spot butter hit a new multi-year low price of $1.43 per pound before rebounding into the mid-$1.40s. Reports indicate cream is still available and historically inexpensive, which is likely to keep churns running.

Milk powder prices continued to decline at this week’s GlobalDairyTrade event. Whole milk powder slipped 2.5% to $1.53 per pound and skim milk powder dipped 1.7% to $1.13.

After getting close to $1.20 per pound, the CME nonfat dry milk market gradually slipped to the mid-$1.10s as ample milk supplies keep a ceiling on the market.

Corn export volume is relatively strong, but despite a proposed trade deal with China, outbound soybeans are behind the average pace. Nearby corn futures are in the $4.30s, while soybeans declined to the $11.20s.

The government shutdown continues to impact USDA report releases. The Cold Storage report originally scheduled for last week was postponed, with the next release expected on December 23. The most recent notice says to expect trade data in late January.

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