In a recent interview with Brownfield News, Mark Stephenson, a University of Wisconsin’s Center for Dairy Profitability economist, said he’s optimistic about milk prices for the remainder of the year. Despite this week’s minor decrease in the Global Dairy Trade index, Stephenson is not concerned — he even stated minor milk price changes show a sign of stability in the supply and demand. Milk prices will be largely dependent on milk production rates throughout the end of the year and the USDA is forecasting a 2.3% increase in milk production from last year. With more events on the horizon and the return of open restaurant and in-person schools, milk prices have even more reason to stay strong. However, dairy production may also slow down as higher feed costs tends to encourage heavier culling of cows or ration adjustments ultimately reducing milk rates per cow. Get more insights from Brownfield’s interview with Stephenson.