The change in the formula back to higher-of calculations – along with zone differential adjustments and other changes – are included in the FMMO modernization provisions set to be implemented June 1.

USDA begins disbursement of economic assistance to farmers

The USDA announced it will begin issuing up to $10 billion directly to agricultural producers through the Emergency Commodity Assistance Program (ECAP) for the 2024 crop year. Administered by USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), the ECAP will help agricultural producers mitigate the impacts of increased input costs and falling commodity prices.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said, “With clear direction from Congress, the USDA has prioritized streamlining the process and accelerating these payments ahead of schedule, ensuring farmers have the resources necessary to manage rising expenses and secure financing for next season.”

Authorized by the American Relief Act, 2025, these economic relief payments are based on planted and prevented planted crop acres for eligible commodities for the 2024 crop year.

To streamline and simplify the delivery of ECAP, the FSA will begin sending prefilled applications to producers who submitted acreage reports to FSA for 2024 eligible ECAP commodities. Producers do not have to wait for their prefilled ECAP application to apply. They can visit the website to apply using an login.gov account or contact their local FSA office to request an application.

The commodities below are eligible for these per-acre payment rates:

• Wheat – $30.69
• Corn – $42.91
• Canola – $31.83
• Sorghum – $42.52
• Crambe – $19.08
• Barley – $21.67
• Flax – $20.97
• Oats – $77.66
• Mustard – $11.36
• Upland cotton and extra-long staple cotton – $84.74
• Rapeseed – $23.63
• Long- and medium-grain rice – $76.94
• Safflower – $26.32
• Peanuts – $75.51
• Sesame – $16.83
• Soybeans – $29.76
• Sunflower – $27.23
• Dry peas – $16.02
• Lentils – $19.30
• Small chickpeas – $31.45
• Large chickpeas – $24.02

Only one application is required for all ECAP eligible commodities nationwide. ECAP applications can be submitted to the FSA in-person, electronically using Box and One-Span, by fax or by applying online. Applications must be submitted by Aug. 15.

If a producer does not receive a prefilled ECAP application, and they planted or were prevented from planting ECAP eligible commodities in 2024, they should contact their local FSA office.

ECAP payments will be issued as applications are approved. Initial ECAP payments will be factored by 85% to ensure that total program payments do not exceed available funding. If additional funds remain, the FSA may issue a second payment.

ECAP assistance will be calculated using a flat payment rate for the eligible commodity multiplied by the eligible reported acres. Payments are based on acreage and not production. For acres reported as prevented plant, ECAP assistance will be calculated at 50%.

For ECAP payment estimates, eligibility and payment details, producers are encouraged to visit the ECAP webpage.

Hilmar opens new Kansas facility

Hilmar Cheese Company Inc. welcomed Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran and other federal, state and local officials to a ribbon cutting ceremony on March 17, officially marking the production of Hilmar cheese in Kansas.

The Dodge City, Kansas, facility makes American-style cheese in commercial 40-pound blocks, which are then sold wholesale to customers and used in a variety of nutritious foods. The site also produces a wide range of high-quality innovative proteins to meet the needs of customers worldwide.

The Dodge City manufacturing site incorporates the latest technology in sustainability and conservation. The advanced instrumentation and automated control systems minimize the water needed to keep the plant clean and reduces energy use. Recycled water is used further to process protein, clean the facility and equipment and reclaim heat. Upgraded spray nozzles were installed for more efficient cleaning. The cleaning process also reuses rinse water.

The sustainability effort continues throughout the site with efficient pumps and equipment. These features will decrease the plant’s greenhouse gas (GHG) intensity and minimize water use. Hilmar is part of the U.S. Dairy Stewardship Commitment to achieve a carbon neutral dairy industry by 2050. The advancements in Dodge City will help Hilmar meet this goal.

Hilmar’s Dodge City site now employs nearly 250 people and represents more than $600 million in capital investment.

GDT index unchanged

The price index of dairy product prices sold on the Global Dairy Trade (GDT) platform went unchanged in the auction held March 18.

Compared to the previous auction, prices for individual product categories were mixed. Mozzarella was up 5.1%, while butter, cheddar cheese, lactose and whole milk powder were up by about 1% or less. Anhydrous milkfat was down by 1.8%, and skim milk powder was down 0.4%. Buttermilk powder was not traded this time.

The GDT platform offers dairy products from several global companies: Fonterra (New Zealand), Darigold, Valley Milk and Dairy America (U.S.), Inalpi (Italy), Arla (Denmark), Arla Foods Ingredients (Denmark), BMI (Germany), Kerry Dairy (Ireland) and Solarec (Belgium).

The next GDT auction is April 1.

NMPF: U.S. dairy exports edge higher in January; herd growth resumes

January began this year positively for U.S. dairy exports, following a weak fourth quarter last year, rising by 0.5% from January 2024, according to a report from the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF).

Summarizing dairy markets in the March 2025 Dairy Management Inc./NMPF Dairy Market Report, contrasting fluid milk sales were noted as they were 0.5% lower in January than the previous January. This is following the first annual gain in fluid milk sales since 2009.

Meanwhile, following end-of-year data revisions by the USDA, a national dairy cow herd expansion would seem to be on back track with January’s preliminary estimate showing the national herd was 41,000 larger than a year earlier.

At the macroeconomic level, the closely watched overall retail price inflation index eased slightly in February, rising by 2.8% from a year earlier. The February consumer price index (CPI) for all dairy products and those for the various individual dairy products were reported below their respective high levels, many of which were reached about two years earlier.

For more information on commercial use, dairy trade, milk production, product inventories, prices and margins, view the March 2025 Dairy Market Report.

National Dairy Board scholarship applications being accepted

Applications are being accepted for college scholarships that are awarded by America’s dairy farmers and importers through the National Dairy Promotion and Research Board (NDB).

Eleven scholarships worth $2,500 each will be awarded, in addition to a $3,500 James H. Loper Jr. Memorial Scholarship to one outstanding recipient. NDB funds, in part, Dairy Management Inc. (DMI), which manages the national dairy checkoff program.

Undergraduate students in their sophomore through senior year for the 2025-26 academic school year and enrolled in college/university programs that emphasize dairy are eligible. Relevant majors may include communications/public relations, journalism, marketing, business, economics, nutrition, food science and agriculture education.

Scholarships are awarded based on academic achievement, an interest in a career in a dairy-related discipline, and demonstrated leadership, initiative and integrity. Candidates must complete an application form, submit an official transcript of all college courses, and write a short statement describing their career aspirations, dairy-related activities and work experiences.

Applications can be found on the DMI website.

Completed applications must be received no later than May 15 at 11:59 p.m. CST. Questions about the program can be emailed.

Purina Animal Nutrition offers student scholarships

Purina Animal Nutrition, along with the Land O’Lakes Foundation, has reopened its annual scholarship program designed to assist students with experience in livestock production and animal stewardship in pursuing their passions and furthering their education.

Undergraduate students and current high school seniors who have experience raising and caring for small or large livestock, equine and/or poultry are eligible to apply for a $5,000 scholarship. Four students will be awarded based on applications that illustrate the impact animal agriculture has had on their lives along with details on academic achievements, leadership skills, community involvement and a clear vision for their future.

Scholarship applications will be accepted March 18 through April 17, and awardees will be notified in June. Funds will be distributed for the fall 2025 semester at their current or anticipated educational institution. The scholarship is open to all high school seniors who plan to enroll in full-time undergraduate study at an accredited two- or four-year college, university or vocational-technical school for the entire upcoming academic semester/term and undergraduate students enrolled in an accredited two- or four-year college, university or vocational-technical school.

To learn more about and apply to the scholarship, visit Purina Animal Nutrition’s website.

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