By RYAN SKAITH
Rising milk production across the United States and global markets is creating a complex landscape for Iowa dairy farmers, according to an industry expert at Iowa State University.
Fred Hall, a dairy specialist with ISU Extension and Outreach, says the recent production spike is paradoxically linked to a decrease in younger cows entering the milking rotation. Because the cost of raising or purchasing replacement heifers has climbed, producers are keeping older, mature cows in the herd longer.
Hall says mature cows give more milk, noting that this shift in herd demographics is a primary driver of the current surplus.
