The Dairy Bar - Powered by Ever.Ag

The Dairy Bar - Powered by Ever.Ag

Read the latest issue of The Dairy Bar, a bi-weekly report from IDFA partner Ever.Ag. The Dairy Bar features spotlight data, key policy updates, and a one-minute video that covers timely topics for the dairy industry.

The Dairy Bar: Update on New World Screwworm; Coffee Prices on the Rise; and Consumer Spending in a Minute!

Quick Bites: Will Dairy Feel Coffee's Buzz?

• Lattes just got more expensive. Coffee futures have gone wild, with arabica prices up 39% in only two weeks thanks to rough weather and shaky crop conditions. On top of that, the U.S. imposed a 50% tariff on Brazilian imports - including coffee - starting August 6. That's a double shot of bad news for coffee lovers.
• Sticker shock is already brewing. Even before the latest spike, July retail prices for ground coffee averaged $8.41 per pound - 33% higher than July 2024. That means the full impact of tariffs and futures haven't even hit grocery bills or coffee shop tabs yet.
• Global bean shipments are on hold. Brazil supplies roughly one-third of America's coffee, but trade deals are grinding to a halt. Bloomberg reports companies are dodging new contracts, asking for delayed shipping and hoping tariffs ease up. One coffee broker summed it up bluntly: "No one's really buying anything."
• Coffee demand matters to milk. Coffee chains may account for as much as 10% to 15% of U.S. fluid milk consumption, so even a modest drop in coffee demand could spill over into dairy. For now, milk sales are holding steady. USDA reported that June sales rose 0.4% year-over-year, ending a three-month decline.

Today's Special

• An old pest has been making new headlines. Efforts to keep New World screwworm south of Panama had been mostly effective for decades, but the recent discovery of screwworms as far north as Mexico pushed U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins to close the border to cattle, bison, and horses from Mexico.
• New World screwworm is a threat to wildlife and livestock, including beef cattle herds. The pest will lay eggs in an opening on otherwise healthy skin, and the larvae, or maggots, feed on healthy tissue. The maggots feed aggressively and can cause severe damage or even death in their victims.
• This parasitic fly was once common in the Southern U.S. but has been eradicated in the country since the 1966. The most recent U.S. outbreak occurred in the deer population in the Florida Keys in 2016, but eradication was declared again in March 2017.
• Eradication was achieved by breeding and raising millions of sterilized screwworm flies and releasing them across the Southern U.S. Once a female mates with a sterile male, the female will not mate again and can only lay sterile eggs, reducing the population over time. USDA ramped up its efforts this summer to expand production and delivery of sterile male flies.
• Because of the detrimental impact this pest can have on livestock, wildlife, and pets, USDA is working with Mexico to maintain a New World screwworm-free border. There is also a human health element to this. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services confirmed the first human case of a New World screwworm infestation in a patient from Maryland who recently returned from a trip to El Salvador. Successful treatment includes the removal of larvae by a healthcare provider, but prevention is going to be key in keeping New World screwworm out of the U.S.

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