Recent USDA data showing generally tight grain stocks and smaller-than-expected plantings for the 2021 crop year was good news for corn, soybean and wheat farmers. But the same data means the continued tightening of a screw for dairy farmers pricing feed grains to sustain their herds. One economist said this week that dairy farmers should stay prepared for high feed prices and take action through forward-contracting and similar marketing measures to hedge against expected cost increases. Such measures can help insulate margins that have begun to widen for dairy producers. While the grain markets will stay focused on domestic grain production for feed price projections moving forward, South America is another big variable for U.S. dairy farmers; any challenges to planting underway in Brazil right now, for example, could create new challenges for dairy farmers pricing feed moving forward as the grain markets split their focus between what’s happening in both U.S. and Brazilian fields. See and hear more.