Sustainable Groundwater Management Act and Wheat Production Higher

**As California farmers prepare for anticipated groundwater cutbacks with implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, they are trying to stretch every drop of water to stay in business.

According to a report analyzing cover cropping as a potential tool for helping safeguard California’s depleted aquifers, employing cover crops holds great potential for water conservation such as improved water-holding capacity and infiltration.

**U.S. wheat production for 2024-25 is forecast at 2.008 billion bushels, the largest wheat crop since 2016-17.

Production is up 134 million bushels from the previous month and 11% over last year.

Larger production for Hard Red Winter and Hard Red Spring are the major factors driving the year-to-year increase, while smaller increases are seen for White and Durum.

Soft Red Winter is down from last year’s bumper crop.

**While consumers drink less milk, overall dairy sales are on a positive streak.

Cheese, butter, and yogurt are fueling category growth, along with new dairy-based products designed to capitalize on convenience, health, and snacking trends.

A new CoBank report says the outlook for retail sales remains strong with room for growth even as consumer preferences and purchasing behaviors evolve.

CoBank economist, Corey Geiger says the healthy snacking category is a growing trend dairy can capitalize on.