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Milk Prices Stay Down Through December

Dairy Analyst Says Producers Shouldn't Expect Relief In The New Year

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Gallons of milk
Guy Montag (CC-BY)

After a rough year in the dairy market, milk prices have continued to fall throughout the last month of 2015, and dairy experts believe the downward trend will continue into the new year.

Wisconsin dairy producers will continue to see falling prices through December, with the price of milk already dropping $1.30 since last month.

Dr. Robert Cropp, a professor emeritus of agricultural economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said this year’s decline in exports to China and other countries has been hard on the dairy market. He said farmers can expect even lower prices in January and February as the market experiences it’s yearly post-holiday slump.

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“It’s not uncommon after the holidays here to see a downturn in milk prices, and that’s very normal,” Cropp said. “Difference here because the loss of exports and that, we’re seeing a bigger downturn in prices than we’d like to see.”

Cropp said he doesn’t expect dairy prices to increase until the second half of 2016.

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