New Zealand – milk production falls in March

New Zealand milk production for March dropped by 2% year on year to just over 1.6bn litres. This brings New Zealand milk supply for the first 10 months of its 2019/20 milking season (Jun-Mar) to a cumulative 18.8bn litres, which is down 0.6%, or almost 105m litres, year on year.

US – Trump announces $19bn aid package for farmers

US President Donald Trump has announced a $19bn aid package to help support farmgate prices in the US. The plan includes $16bn in direct payments to farmers, along with a commitment by the government to buy $3bn of meat, dairy and other food products to support demand.

Argentina – soya bean production forecast lower

Grain market analysts have cut their forecast for Argentinian soya bean production this year to just 50.5m tonnes. Less than a third (29%) of this year’s soya crop in Argentina is deemed to be in good or excellent condition due to drought conditions earlier in the season.

Netherlands – milk production rising strongly

Dutch milk production is firmly back in growth mode. For March, Dutch milk production grew by 3% year on year to just under 1.2bn litres. This brings Dutch milk production for the first three months of 2020 to a cumulative 3.5bn litres, which is running almost 4%, or 125m litres, ahead of last year.