With milk prices low and milk production per cow higher than it’s ever been, some of the few opportunities for better margins are producing milk with higher protein and fat content and holding onto older cows longer, according to Mike Hutjens, professor emeritus at the University of Illinois. 

Hutjens addressed the current state of the Midwest dairy industry last week at the Northeast Iowa Dairy Foundation annual meeting in Calmar.

“This industry is changing very rapidly, and it will continue to change in some very dynamic ways,” Hutjens said. “So the...