Dairy income up slightly for 2021 with limited production growth

Dairy farmers saw a slight increase in prices in 2020 while keeping milk production gains in check.

The USDA reports 2021 milk production increased 1.3 percent to 226 billion pounds, while marketings were up 3.5 percent to $41.8 billion. Farmers earned an average of $18.54 per hundredweight during the year, up slightly more than two percent from 2020.

Dairy economist Tanner Ehmke with CoBank tells Brownfield high feed costs continue to pressure margins and any ambitions to grow.

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