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“Time heals, but I'm forever broken”. We're back with another edition of the new series for The Smashing Pumpkast entitled, “Radio, Play My Favorite Song,” where I talk to YOU, the Pumpkinhead, about one of your favorite WPC & SP-related tracks. Today, all the way from Newfoundland, Canada, we have Stephanie Conway on to discuss the track “Muzzle”! Rawk.Support the 'kast!MERCHOur PATREONbuymeacoffee.com/PumpkastPlease rate and review us!Follow us on the socials:Instagram: @smashingpumpkastBluesky: @smashingpumpkastTwitter: @PumpkinsPodcast
Bentornati e bentornate su Azure Italia Podcast, il podcast in italiano su Microsoft Azure!Per non perderti nessun nuovo episodio clicca sul tasto FOLLOW del tuo player
Le prix du platine, un métal utilisé aussi bien dans les pots d'échappement des véhicules que dans le secteur de la joaillerie, a plus que doublé cette année. En cette fin décembre, le prix du platine a dépassé 2 300 dollars l'once, un record. Ce qui explique les prix historiques du platine, c'est un déséquilibre du marché : 2025 sera bien la troisième année de déficit pour le métal, comme les analystes le pressentaient déjà il y a un an. Ce déficit est alimenté par une offre en baisse de 2 % et par une demande soutenue dans plusieurs régions du monde. Aux États-Unis, c'est la crainte d'éventuels droits de douane qui a fait affluer d'importantes quantités de platine, à l'instar de ce qui a été observé pour le cuivre et l'or en 2025 : 600 000 onces de platine se trouvent aujourd'hui dans les entrepôts américains, un niveau bien plus élevé que la normale. Forte hausse des achats de la Chine En Chine, les importations ont dépassé les estimations des besoins de la consommation. Le pays a importé un volume record de 1,2 million d'onces rien qu'au deuxième trimestre, selon l'agence Bloomberg. Les importations chinoises ont augmenté dans le secteur de la bijouterie, en particulier au premier semestre, elles ont été tirées vers le haut également par les investisseurs, qui ont multiplié les achats de pièces et de lingots, qui ont augmenté de 64 % sur un an. Les achats de platine sous toutes ses formes ont été aussi stimulés par l'ouverture d'un nouveau produit financier, un marché à terme chinois pour le platine créé par le Guangzhou Futures Exchange (GFEX), qui repose sur la constitution de stocks physiques. Les importations se seraient aussi accélérées avant le 1ᵉʳ novembre, date à partir de laquelle l'avantage fiscal de China Platinum a été levé : l'entreprise d'État était depuis des années la seule à ne pas payer la taxe sur la valeur ajoutée de 13 %, ce qui lui avait permis de devenir le principal acheteur de platine du pays, les autres sociétés ne pouvant pas être compétitives. Stocks en baisse mais difficiles à évaluer Le résultat de cette forte demande chinoise, c'est une diminution des stocks sur les places de négoce européennes. Il est cependant difficile d'avoir une bonne vision de ces réserves. Comme l'explique l'agence Bloomberg, contrairement à l'or ou l'argent détenus sous forme de lingots, et dont les stocks sont publiés de manière mensuelle, une grande partie du platine est conservée sous forme de granulés ou de poudres dans des coffres privés d'investisseurs. L'Europe lâche du lest En Europe, c'est une nouvelle règlementation qui alimente la tension sur le marché du platine. L'UE a renoncé à contraindre les constructeurs automobiles à passer au tout électrique à partir de 2035. Ils pourront continuer à vendre sous certaines conditions un quota de voitures neuves thermiques. Cet assouplissement signifie que le platine, qui entre dans la composition des pots catalytiques, bénéficie d'un sursis dans le secteur automobile européen. Comme ailleurs dans le monde, le parc des véhicules électriques se développe plus lentement que prévu. La demande va se maintenir plus longtemps dans cette filière. Cela se traduit dans les prix actuels, alors qu'ils étaient restés stables et avaient même baissé lors des deux années précédentes de déficit. Ce rebond du platine fait grimper le palladium, son substitut dans les pots d'échappement. Son prix s'est envolé à son plus haut niveau depuis trois ans. Un retour à l'équilibre pourrait avoir lieu en 2026, avec même un léger excédent de 20 milliers d'onces, selon le World Platinum Council, grâce à une offre issue du recyclage qui pourrait permettre d'augmenter l'offre globale de 4 % selon le WPC. Ces prévisions sont conditionnées à un apaisement des tensions commerciales, qui serait synonyme de plus de fluidité des échanges. À lire aussiAnglo American se sépare de ses mines de platine en Afrique du Sud
In this episode of The Milk Check, Ted Jacoby III welcomes Lloyd Metzger and TJ Jacoby of Valley Queen Cheese Company for a deep dive into the science, functionality and future of dairy proteins. The conversation starts at the molecular level – the difference between casein and whey – and builds toward the real-world implications for product developers, processors and nutrition brands. We cover: Why casein is built to carry calcium (and whey isn’t) How heat and pH change protein behavior Fast versus slow digestion and why both matter The role of whey protein in muscle maintenance, aging and GLP-1 nutrition What pro cream really is and why its value may be underestimated Why cellular agriculture is more niche than threat If you work in dairy, food formulation or nutrition, this is a protein conversation worth digesting. Got questions? We'd love to hear them. Submit below, and we might answer it on the show. Ask The Milk Check TMC-Intro-final[00:00:00]Ted Jacoby III: Hi everybody, and thank you for joining us today for this very special recording of the Milk Check Podcast. Today, our topic is: what is the future of dairy proteins? And we have two very special guests. The first is Lloyd Metzger, VP of Quality and Technical Services for Valley Queen Cheese Company, and formerly Professor of Dairy Science at South Dakota State University. And the second, particularly special to me, is my son TJ Jacoby, Whey Technologist for Valley Queen. A South Dakota State graduate. Someone who has been interested in dairy proteins since his first biology class in high school. Guys, thank you for joining us today and welcome to The Milk Check. Lloyd Metzger: Glad to be here. TJ Jacoby: Good to be on, Dad. Ted Jacoby III: It’s December 18th, 2025. Milk production in the US is up 4%. Milk production in Europe is up something similar. Milk production in New Zealand is up. Milk production in Argentina is up. We are definitely in an [00:01:00] environment today where the supply of milk and dairy is overwhelming demand, at least for the moment. Cheese prices are near historical lows. Butter prices are near historical lows. Nonfat milk, skim milk powder prices are on the low end of the range. This market is a market that feels heavy, and I think most people out there would say, it almost feels like even though we’re at lows, we may actually go lower before we go higher. And yet, on the other hand, there are whey proteins, Josh, if I’m not mistaken, whey proteins just hit historical highs. Josh White: Maybe the highest prices we’ve ever seen for whey protein isolate and WPC 80. Ted Jacoby III: So, we have an environment where the demand on the protein side is extremely strong, and the trends on protein consumption are extremely strong and really feel like they’re gonna be around for quite some time. We’ve got baby boomers retiring and whether it’s because of GLP-1s or it’s just a general knowledge and understanding of what human nutritional needs are as people age, they know that they need more protein in their [00:02:00] diet. So, it begs the question: what is going on with dairy proteins and whey proteins and how is this going to evolve in such a unique market where demand is so strong for protein right now? And so, I’m gonna ask the question first. What’s the difference at a molecular level between whey proteins and milk proteins? Because when we’re in an environment like we are now, where you’ve got the demand really, really high, you also have a market that’s gonna start looking for alternatives, simply because prices are so high. What is the difference between milk proteins in general and whey protein specifically? Lloyd Metzger: It’s important to talk about from a functional perspective how the proteins are different. I’m sure we’ll get into the nutritional differences between those proteins as well. It’s important to understand what’s driving those differences in functional characteristics. And it’s really all about calcium. The casein system is designed to carry calcium. The whey protein system is not designed to carry calcium. That differentiates the two groups of [00:03:00] proteins and makes their properties very different. TJ Jacoby: I’ll explain it like this. Milk proteins, there’s two classes of proteins, right? There’s casein and then there’s whey. The casein is used to make cheese, and then the whey protein is what comes off. So, the whey protein is everything that is not used to make cheese. So, the reason why casein proteins works so well for cheese because those proteins like to fall together in these spheres, they like to stick to one another. They like to stick to one another ’cause they have certain groups that latch onto the calcium and then they bridge with phosphate. When they do, they have multiple proteins, different types of casein proteins that bridge together with phosphate and then based on their repulsion forces, they stick together. Calcium and phosphates really help it stick when we make cheese. The outside of that casein, micelle, that ball, when we make cheese, that outside is stripped off, it becomes hydrophobic, and that causes those spheres to stick together. That’s a huge functional property of casein. Whey [00:04:00] protein is the opposite. Whey protein is really hydrophillic. It’s very polar. So, they like to float around in solution and stay floating around in solution. And they don’t like casein. It likes to stay separate from casein. And so, when you make cheese, it readily is released into the whey stream because it likes to stick with the water. In the same way, those kind of stick together with these sulfur groups. But when you heat it up, they unfold. And when they unfold, now there’s certain reactions that can take place. So, those are the two major differences between casein and whey. Lloyd, what did I miss? Lloyd Metzger: I would try to simplify it a little bit. The difference between casein and whey protein is casein is what’s trapped when we make cheese. And whey protein is the soluble protein that’s left over in the water phase of cheese. Cheese making is a dehydration process. We concentrate the fat and protein that’s in milk, the casein version of protein in milk. But you gotta look at the properties of those two [00:05:00] systems and the groups of protein. So, the casein protein is actually really stable to heat, but it is not stable to pH. So, casein will always coagulate at low pH. So, you lower the pH of milk, you get a yogurt-like product. That’s all the casein that’s coming out of the system. Whey proteins don’t mind a low pH, and they’ll stay soluble at a wide range of pH. But now, when you get to temperature, the complete opposite happens. Casein can handle super high temperatures and be very stable. Whey proteins can not handle high temperature at all, they start to gel. I think it’s important to look at the two different groups. Now you get into the functional differences between those two and the very different properties you have between those. Lloyd Metzger: That’s why you get all these products that are very different from each other. Why cheese is so much different than whey protein. And then you have these dairy products that are a combination that have the two together. So like when we make yogurt, we end up with the two products together and get this property that’s partway in between the two proteins. Ted Jacoby III: [00:06:00] Based on what you’re describing, when we’re talking about milk proteins, MPC 80, for example, there’s a higher level of calcium, I take it in milk proteins than compared to whey proteins. Is that true? Lloyd Metzger: Absolutely, but let’s remind everybody: milk protein is both casein and whey protein together at the normal ratio that’s in milk. So, of the protein, 80% is casein, 20% is whey protein. So, when you say milk protein, you’re actually meaning 80% casein and 20% whey protein. Now, when we talk about cheese or casein, we’re basically a hundred percent casein and 0% whey protein. Now, when we talk about whey protein, we’re essentially a 100% whey protein, no casein except for one fragment of casein that actually gets solubilized, as TJ described, and now actually becomes part of whey protein. Something that a lot of people don’t understand is that about 15% of what we call whey protein is actually a piece of casein that gets lost in the whey and now gets [00:07:00] captured and harvested in the whey protein manufacture process. But again, it’s important to remember milk protein is a 80 / 20 combination of casein and whey protein together. So, when you’re talking about milk protein, you’re actually talking about whey protein and casein together. Ted Jacoby III: It’s funny, I just learned something never really quite had my head around, and that’s that 80 / 20 ratio, that 80% of all the protein in milk is actually either alpha or beta casein. Correct? Lloyd Metzger: There’s actually four different casein fractions that are involved that make up that 80% of the total protein. Ted Jacoby III: Okay. The casein molecule isn’t really any bigger than most of the whey protein molecules, but they tend to clump together in those micelles. And so, they act as one big humongous mass compared to whey proteins. Correct? TJ Jacoby: Whey proteins may be collected like in pairs like two at a time, but casein proteins, there’s hundreds, right? Lloyd, that will just clump together. Thousands. TJ Jacoby: So, these spheres are absolutely massive protein complexes, but in fact there are a lot of little individual [00:08:00] proteins that make it up and they’re all bridged together with calcium and phosphate. Lloyd Metzger: It’s a packaging system that was designed to package up calcium and phosphorus. So, the whole casein system was designed by nature as a delivery vehicle for calcium and phosphorus, because calcium is not soluble by itself. Calcium phosphate is essentially rock. It’s the material that makes up eggshells. Think, think about a ground up eggshell that calcium phosphate complex is not soluble and it will sink to the bottom of your container of milk if you didn’t have the protein complex to hold it in solution. The analogy I use is it’s basically a kidney stone. Think about how much fun milking a cow would be if all the calcium and phosphorus was in the form of a kidney stone as you’re trying to milk the cow. All that calcium and phosphorus can be solubilized with the casein system and put it into solution and then make it so you can deliver that in a nutritional product. Ted Jacoby III: That makes perfect sense. That’s really cool. I think you guys also already touched on the differences in solubility as you were [00:09:00] describing the different proteins. But there’s differences in digestibility as well. What’s the source of that difference? TJ Jacoby: I’ll take this one. Returning back to the infant stage, I feel like we could set this up in light of why nature created these proteins. Dairy is the fundamental human food for infants. You have babies that can live up to a year off of just their mother’s milk. All the proteins that are found in there, those building blocks to grow an infant, can be boiled down to those two protein streams: whey protein and casein protein. The purpose of the casein protein for the infants is it’s fast acting. It’ll go right into the gut, and the gut is full of enzymes, but also really, really low pH, so low that it actually causes even those whey proteins to unfold. And It allows the stomach enzymes to break it up super, super fast and be absorbed. It’s considered one of the most bioavailable proteins known to man. It’s designed for that, that’s why nature created whey protein. Well, whey protein itself is also very nutritious. It has one of the highest concentrations of [00:10:00] essential amino acid, and the second highest known to man of branch-chain amino acids. That means it doesn’t have to be processed through the liver before it can be used by the human body. If your body’s actively using and consuming protein whey protein’s really good because it can be absorbed into your system and go right to the muscles. 33% of your muscle is branched chain amino acid. That’s what’s getting broken down while you’re working out. And then in the elderly, that’s what’s getting broken down that’s causing some muscle degeneration. Whey protein can help fortify that very quickly. However, all protein that is consumed in the body could also easily be processed through the liver with time. And so, if you have time, that’s where the casein comes into play. The casein, when it hits that acidic environment in the gut, it immediately clumps together. It actually creates cheese curds in the gut. And the reason why that’s so important is it slows down digestion so that slowly over time, that will be absorbed into the system. So it’s not [00:11:00] like a rush of energy right after the baby eats and then it goes away right away. Instead, it slows it down. The casein itself also likes to trap other nutrients. The casein in the gut will house the fat and the vitamins and the nutrients so that it’s slowly absorbed over the course of the next few hours before the baby’s next feeding. Ted Jacoby III: As a result of those digestibility differences, what are the differences in the amino acid profiles between casein and whey proteins? The body’s gonna need to break down most of that casein in order to absorb it. When the body breaks down that casein, what are the differences in the way that it absorbs some of those amino acid profiles and short-chain protein strands from the casein versus what’s readily bioavailable from the whey proteins? TJ Jacoby: Casein does not have the same percentage of those essential amino acids. It’s not as high, but it’s designed to be slow absorbing. Protein itself, it almost doesn’t matter the amino acid structure, as long as your body has enough of those vitamins and nutrients to absorb and to restructure it to [00:12:00] a different protein within the liver — that’s what your body needs. Most of us, the protein doesn’t have to be fast-acting. It’s not like our muscles are actively breaking down all the time. It can slowly be absorbed, be processed through the liver, and then used for almost any other function as long as we have all the vitamins and minerals that we need. Lloyd Metzger: Part of this huge shift we’re seeing in demand for protein, especially whey protein, this started 25, 30 years ago with bodybuilders and wanting to build muscle mass. And the realization that TJ mentioned: branch-chain amino acids are very important if you wanna rapidly put muscle mass on. It is also very important if you’re elderly or if you have sarcopenia where you’re starting to lose muscle mass. In those nutritional states, it’s really important to have high-level branch-chain amino acids, so you can put muscle on. Or if you’re on a GLP-1 medication where you’re not gonna be able to eat very much, you need a very efficient source of protein to build muscle mass. So there’s certain nutritional states where it is important to have branch-chain amino acids [00:13:00] and be able to get those from a protein like whey protein that has ’em at a very high level. But for the normal person, it’s not really all that relevant. You could get the protein you need from any protein that provides all the essential amino acids. Now, most plant proteins don’t do that. We’re talking about the difference between casein and whey protein. Both of them are an order of magnitude higher in nutritional quality than plant proteins because they have all the essential amino acids. And to TJ’s point, as long as you have the essential amino acids, the body can produce the non-essential amino acids from those essentials. Essential ones are amino acids the body can’t produce. You have to have those in the food you’re consuming to be able to produce the components you need. Josh White: We’ve got listeners from the dairy side of the equation and listeners from the utilization side that are making different products. And some of those customers are currently faced with the reality that a part of the equation for their adoption of whey proteins as an ingredient has shifted. The competition level’s very [00:14:00] high. They’re having more difficulty accessing some of it. And the price has changed quite a bit. And I think that when you’re talking about these products going into CPG applications as a lower inclusion rate ingredient, but with a lot of label power, being able to put whey protein, for instance, on that label, there’s several of them out there that are struggling to determine what the functional differences might be between the various dairy proteins. And what I’m afraid that is happening is some of these companies that are on the lower end of the value scale and can’t afford to keep up with all of the great products that are demanding whey protein or even milk protein, are gonnastart exploring alternatives outside of our space. and I think that we don’t want that, right? And what we’re seeing is this popularity of whey protein is driving a lot of customers for R&D projects to be asking us specifically for whey protein. And so help us understand what applications might make sense to use one, the other, or both. Lloyd Metzger: It completely depends on the product that [00:15:00] you’re after and the characteristics of the product that you want. Something like a beverage can go two different directions. So, if you’re gonna retort the beverage and put a lot of heat on it, you can’t do that with most whey proteins. They’re gonna gel. The most comparable protein to whey protein would be an egg protein. And everybody understands what happens when you heat eggs; they turn into a gel. So, whey proteins will happily do that. If you have a high enough concentration and you expose them to enough heat. Casein actually helps to protect whey protein from that coagulation. A lot of these high-protein beverages, they’re oftentimes a combination of casein and whey protein. They might alter the ratio a little bit from the 80 / 20. They might bump the whey protein up a little bit and have a 60 / 40 casein to whey protein. And so you’ll see ranges in that ratio of casein to whey protein, depending on the characteristics of the product that you’re actually after. The heat is a big piece of that. And then we go to pH as a big piece of what changes the functionality of casein to whey protein and makes you [00:16:00] change those ratios. Yogurt is another great example. You’ve got these super, super high-protein yogurts and a lot of cases they fortified with quite a bit of whey protein to be able to have more protein and still have the characteristics that you want in that product. In the protein bars, there’s all kinds of whey proteins there. In that application, you actually don’t even solubilize the protein. There’s hardly any water in that bar. It’s really almost a dry protein that has a plasticizer with it, some carbohydrates that actually make that edible. You’re almost eating a dry product. There’s a lot of food chemistry that goes into which product category you’re putting it in. There’s not this straight fast rule that you use whey proteins in this, you use casein and that. It depends on what food chemistry you use and how you put the blend together and then what processing you couple with that to get the characteristic that you’re actually after. Josh White: Can we spend a minute or two talking about the acidified products? They’ve gained a lot of popularity. The market potential is quite large. Can we talk a bit about the [00:17:00] differences between the clear WPIs and our traditional products? Lloyd Metzger: I wanna clarify the question. Are you talking specifically about whey protein only in the clear whey protein beverages versus the normal whey protein beverages? Ted Jacoby III: Yes. Lloyd Metzger: We really start to get into the weeds because we’ve got different whey products. So we’ve got whey protein concentrate. And then that comes in various forms. WPC 34 or WPC 80 are the most common. The 80 and the 34 correspond to how much protein on a dry basis those two products have. And they have whey proteins in the normal ratio that would be in the starting whey. Then we get into a group of products called whey protein isolates. And whey protein isolates go through an additional manufacturing process that allows you to purify the protein further and they’ll have more than 90% protein on a dry basis. And you may start to alter the ratio of the various whey proteins that were present in the starting whey. Now, when [00:18:00] we get into the clear whey protein isolates, we really start to alter the ratio of the proteins that are in there. We’ll also start to change some of the mineral profile of the components that are in that product. And then when we use those isolates in a formulation, we gotta be careful about all the other ingredients ’cause they’re gonna have an impact on whether or not the product is actually clear and whether or not it can be stable to heat. So, you can actually make whey protein stable to heat by controlling the mineral profile and controlling some of the processing conditions. You’re now taking a category of dairy ingredient and you’re starting to use technology IP to be able to provide specific functional characteristics that aren’t normally part of that ingredient. All of these may be called the same thing, and the basic consumer has absolutely no idea what the differences between all these things are. And when they’re looking at a label, they’re probably looking for the word whey protein, and that’s all they’re looking for. Josh White: As we’ve seen the market tighten up, we’ve seen [00:19:00] more inquiries and exploration about the use of pro cream,also called WPPC, also called WPC 70, so many different names. Definitely, in our experience, there’s quite a uniqueness as we originate this product from different manufacturers. Perhaps we can talk a bit more about what this product is and how it differs from the other proteins in the complex. Lloyd Metzger: I talked about WPC 80. That’s just the normal whey protein that we concentrate out of whey. And then, I mentioned whey protein isolate. To convert WPC 80 to a whey protein isolate, you use a filtration step called microfiltration. And in that microfiltration step, you remove any protein that is interacting with fat and take that out of the system. So, if you start with a normal WPC 80 and we’re gonna change it into a WPI. We are gonna go through a microfiltration process and we’re gonna lose about 25% of the protein that was there and all of the fat that was there. And [00:20:00] we’re gonna make a WPI out of that. And that WPI is gonna have about 75% of the protein we started with. The protein that we harvest out of that is actually pro cream. pro cream is just a byproduct of converting WPC 80 into WPI, and it’s gonna have about 25% of the mass of the protein that you started with, and all of the fat that was in that starting WPC 80 material. So that’s why you see it called high-fat WPC 30, and if you dry that down, it’s about a WPC 60. You can take that and blend that with WPC 34. You can do all kinds of things with that ingredient. Manufacturers are always trying to find a home for that. ’cause you’ve got a very high value product that’s easy to market in WPI. Ted Jacoby III: Lloyd, that pro cream, our hunch is there’s a lot more value in that pro cream than the market currently has its head around. Lloyd Metzger: they’re the same proteins that are in WPI, they’re just interacting with a fat. Now the fat [00:21:00] is very unique in that there’s quite a bit of phospholipid fat in there. And so there’s a lot of literature and research being done on the potential health benefits for brain development of phospholipids for infants as well as elderly to help with memory retention and actually help to prevent some Alzheimer’s effects. So, you see some companies starting to market that component that they’ve isolated. I think there is a lot of potential value there. But we’re in the early stages of where that’s gonna go. And you have some companies leading the way that are producing very specialized pro cream type products that are being used in infant nutrition or elderly nutrition. TJ Jacoby: But Lloyd, how do those phospholipids affect the shelf life of pro cream? Lloyd Metzger: They don’t help. The phospholipids are unsaturated fats or partially unsaturated and unsaturated fats are very easy to oxidize, so if they’re not handled properly, you’ll get very stale and oxidized off flavors in the product. It’s something you gotta be careful of. Ted Jacoby III: Oxidized fats, [00:22:00] another way to call that. That’s rancid, right? Yes. Lloyd Metzger: On its way to rancid. Josh White: Another selling point that people will make of the benefits of pro cream are IgGs. Can you guys explain a bit more of what that is to the layman? Lloyd Metzger: So, immunoglobulin is a protein that’s also present in milk. It’s really high in colostrum. It’s at very low levels in milk about 72 hours after the cow was started milking, the levels drop way down, but there is still a low level there. Those immunoglobulins are a very large protein. So when you go through your WPI manufacturing process, they’re gonna partition with that fat and that protein portion that you’re capturing. So they’re gonna go in that pro cream. Looking at the composition of IgG in the different waste streams, you’ll find it’s elevated in that pro cream portion. Now I’d be a little concerned about what kind of shape that IgGs in because you’ve seen a lot of heat [00:23:00] and different manufacturing conditions through that process. So you’d really have to be careful about what kind of claims you’re making based on what kind of shape that IgGs in. Mm-hmm. TJ Jacoby: For an infant, those IgGs will go right into the bloodstream. It’s whole proteins, but for us, it actually has to break up the protein entirely before it can be absorbed into our system. So what kind of functional benefits does IgG bring for an adult? I’d be curious to see what that literature entails. Mike Brown (2): Over the last couple decades, DNA technology has been used more and more to produce valuable proteins, often for medical use like insulin. Are we gonna see a point with the cost benefit of that kind of technology we’ll reach where we can actually use that to produce these whey proteins rather than using a cow? Lloyd Metzger: There’s different levels of concern depending on the particular protein. An individual protein and an individual soluble protein like beta-lactoglobulin and alpha-lactalbumin that are in [00:24:00] whey, those have more potential to be produced in a fermentation type process. ’cause they’re an individual protein. You can over express it, you can get a lot of that produced. But when you get to the complexities of multiple proteins that are in whey, that’s when it really becomes uneconomical to do that from a fermentation standpoint. ’cause you’ve gotta produce all of those individually, try to put ’em together, then purify ’em. What people forget is how efficient the cow is. The cow is essentially a walking fermentation tank that feeds itself, controls its own temperature, cleans itself up. All you’ve gotta do is get the milk out of it. When you look at all the steps that go into the process and what it takes to produce it, it’s really hard to beat the efficiency of a cow. Ted Jacoby III: Lloyd, am I right in assuming that the threat of cellular agriculture to dairy would come in the development of specific protein chains and amino acids, but probably not in terms of the complete [00:25:00] protein profile that is delivered in milk proteins and whey proteins. Lloyd Metzger: Correct. And it would be the very high-end, expensive. So the lactoferrin. It would be your first one or some of the IgG, anything that is at low concentration and very high value. Because even if you did everything perfectly, you’re probably still talking $25 to $30 a pound in the manufacturer and isolation process. Well, we we’re really excited about $11 whey protein isolate. Right? You know, and that’s still half the price. Ted Jacoby III: Makes sense. Lloyd, TJ, this was an absolutely fantastic discussion. This was exactly what I wanted to get out of it. I can tell you I learned quite a bit today and I’m sure our listeners will too. Thank you so much for joining us. We really appreciate it. Lloyd Metzger: No problem. Happy to do it. TJ Jacoby: Truly special to be on today, Dad. I grew up listening to a lot of these podcasts, right? Now we’re here, now we’re on it together with you. So, no, it was truly special.[00:26:00]
The salient point of our discussion today centers on the impending severe weather conditions forecasted to affect multiple regions, particularly as a formidable Pacific storm approaches from the Northwest. This meteorological event is anticipated to bring damaging winds, mountain snow, and localized blizzard conditions across the Northern Rockies and Plains. Furthermore, we delve into the ongoing flood response in Western Washington, where the region grapples with the aftermath of excessive rainfall, compounded by river warnings and landslide risks as additional weather fronts approach. We also highlight the potential for hazardous travel conditions due to high winds and snow in various states, including North Dakota and Montana, as well as the growing concerns over winter storm watches and blizzard conditions in the northern plains. As we progress through our analysis, we will remain vigilant in tracking river stages, wind advisories, and the timing of forthcoming storms, ensuring that our audience is well-informed and prepared for the evolving weather scenarios.A thorough examination of the current meteorological landscape reveals the intricate dynamics of a formidable Pacific storm traversing the United States, particularly as it approaches the Northern Rockies and Plains. This storm is characterized by its capacity to generate damaging winds ranging from 50 to 70 mph, coupled with significant snowfall and the potential for localized blizzard conditions. The podcast meticulously unpacks the repercussions of this weather event, particularly for Western Washington, which is currently in a state of flood response following an extensive period of heavy precipitation. The discussion focuses on the heightened risks of river flooding and landslides, a situation exacerbated by the saturated soils resulting from recent rainfall. As the storm progresses, listeners are informed of the potential for additional fronts to exacerbate these conditions, emphasizing the ongoing vulnerability of the region.The narrative further extends to the specific weather advisories across various states, detailing the high wind advisories and renewed flood threats that are expected to emerge in Northwest Oregon and Southwest Washington. The podcast dissects the implications of these advisories, particularly for transportation and infrastructure, as well as the efforts of local and national weather services to keep the public informed. The dangers posed by high winds and blizzard conditions in the High Plains are highlighted, illustrating the widespread impact of the storm across state lines. The podcast adeptly conveys the seriousness of the situation, advocating for public awareness and action in response to the impending weather challenges.As the episode draws to a close, the discussion encapsulates the necessity for vigilance and preparedness in the face of such formidable weather phenomena. It calls upon listeners to remain abreast of the evolving circumstances, emphasizing the importance of heeding warnings and taking precautionary measures to ensure safety. Ultimately, the podcast serves as an invaluable resource for understanding the complexities of severe weather and underscores the imperative of community resilience in the face of natural adversities.Takeaways:* The Pacific storm is expected to bring significant damaging winds and snow across various regions today. * Western Washington continues to face serious flooding issues following an extended period of heavy rainfall. * High wind warnings and advisories are in effect across numerous states, indicating hazardous conditions. * Travel disruptions are anticipated due to heavy winds and potential blizzard conditions in the northern regions. * Forecasters predict a powerful atmospheric river to impact the area with heavy rain and rising rivers soon. * Weather advisories highlight the risk of downed trees and utility outages due to saturated soils. Sources[WPC | https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov][NWS Seattle | https://www.weather.gov/sew/][USGS Latest Earthquakes (map) | https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/map/?extent=16.8,-137.2&extent=55.0,-52.8&listOnlyShown=true][NOAA SWPC | https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/forecast-discussion][NWS Seattle — AFD/hazards | https://forecast.weather.gov/product.php?issuedby=SEW&product=AFD&site=sew][NWS Seattle homepage | https://www.weather.gov/sew/][AP recap of state impacts | https://apnews.com/article/5a5d085e96e98d24c96a889b4d7d8e6c][WSDOT | https://wsdot.wa.gov/][NWS Portland hazards | https://www.weather.gov/pqr/][NWS Pendleton alert (media relay) | https://ktvz.com/weather/alerts-weather/2025/12/17/high-wind-warning-issued-december-17-at-134am-pst-until-december-17-at-400pm-pst-by-nws-pendleton-or/][ODOT TripCheck closures | https://www.tripcheck.com/DynamicReports/Report/RoadConditions][NWS Bay Area AFD — key messages | https://forecast.weather.gov/product.php?issuedby=MTR&product=AFD&site=mtr][WPC Excessive Rainfall Outlook overview | https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov][NWS Boise AFD/advisories | https://forecast.weather.gov/product.php?issuedby=BOI&product=AFD&site=BOI][NWS Pocatello High Wind Warning | https://forecast.weather.gov/showsigwx.php?warnzone=IDZ073&product1=High+Wind+Warning][Boise hazards | https://www.weather.gov/boi/][NWS Great Falls/TFX warnings | https://forecast.weather.gov/wwamap/wwatxtget.php?cwa=byz&wwa=all][East Glacier hazard page | https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=48.4438&lon=-113.2255][NWS Cheyenne warnings text | https://www.weather.gov/wwamap/wwatxtget.php?cwa=cys&wwa=all][NWS Denver/Boulder — point forecast showing High Wind Warning | https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=40.56&lon=-105.07][WPC national hazards note | https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov][NWS Bismarck state forecast product | https://forecast.weather.gov/product.php?issuedby=ND&product=SFP&site=AKQ][NWS Grand Forks DSS/Blizzard potential PDF | https://www.weather.gov/media/fgf/DssPacket.pdf][NWS Rapid City AFD | https://forecast.weather.gov/product.php?issuedby=UNR&product=AFD&site=UNR][NWS Rapid City High Wind Warning text | https://forecast.weather.gov/showsigwx.php?warnzone=SDZ076&product1=High+Wind+Warning][NWS North Platte HWO | https://forecast.weather.gov/product.php?issuedby=LBF&product=HWO&site=NWS][WFO North Platte hazards map | https://www.weather.gov/lbf/][NWS Salt Lake City homepage advisory | https://www.weather.gov/slc/][SLC point forecast showing Wind Advisory | https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=40.7585&lon=-111.8881][NWS Duluth hazards | https://www.weather.gov/dlh/][NWS Grand Forks web brief | https://www.weather.gov/fgf/] This is a public episode. 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There's milk everywhere: more milk in the U.S., Europe and New Zealand than a year ago, soft Class IV, and Class III futures that could slip into the $13s once you plug in today's spot cheese and whey. With a long milk wave crashing over the dairy industry, will farmers start culling cows and leaving stalls empty? Inside the episode, the team churns through: Why strong balance sheets, paid-down debt and high cow values could delay a production pullback How lower feed costs shift the breakeven – but can't fully offset falling milk checks Why Western and cheese-focused regions like the Pacific Northwest, California and Idaho may struggle first How WPC 80, WPI and clear whey proteins have become the lone bulls – and why capacity constraints limit the industry's response Why there are limits to what customers can pay for whey, and where substitution is already happening It's a barn full of bears on butter, cheese and fluid milk, but the protein complex is still flexing. The question is how long that can last? Tune in to The Milk Check episode 88: One bull in a barn full of bears to hear how our traders are navigating a market that's bearish on volume but still bullish on protein. Got questions? We'd love to hear them. Submit below, and we might answer it on the show. Ask The Milk Check Ted Jacoby III: Welcome, everybody, to The Milk Check. It is December 5th. We’re gonna talk about markets today. And rather than boring you and having the same conversation we had three weeks ago, everything is still bearish. There’s milk everywhere. There’s milk all over the U.S. There’s milk all over Europe. There’s milk all over New Zealand. There’s a whole bunch more milk this year than last year. Things are long. It’s very likely things are gonna get longer before they get shorter. Today we have some of our usual suspects. My brother Gus has joined us today. We’ve got Josh White, we’ve got Joe Maixner, we’ve got Diego Carvallo. And, of course, myself. Looking forward to a great conversation. So, rather than discussing how bearish we can be on these markets, my question, and I’m gonna start by throwing this question at my brother, Gus, is Gus, how long do you think it’s gonna take for dairy farmers to start culling cows and for this milk [00:01:00] production to slow down? Gus Jacoby: I feel like milk price and farm economics are completely contingent on that and how bad those farm economics get with respect to the milk price. Class III is still relatively high. Obviously, Class IV is pretty poor right now. The way I see it, dairymen, at this moment in time, still have fairly strong balance sheets. So, the recent low prices haven’t affected ’em all that much. So, I don’t expect their behavior with respect to culling and whatnot to change. But I think in five, six months from now, assuming that the milk price is at or lower, and quite frankly, I think Class III probably does need to get a bit lower, you’ll start to see some of that behavior change. If I had to guess, either as early as early summer, but as late as maybe mid-fall, if farm economics don’t change, we’ll start to see dairymen begin to leave stalls open. I mean, they’re gonna cull a cow, collect that beef revenue that they can grab, and not necessarily buy the expensive heifer. Ted Jacoby III: You’re thinking it’s gonna take about six months for dairy farmers [00:02:00] to get to the point where they feel like they need to increase the amount of cows they’re selling in order to meet their cashflow needs? Gus Jacoby: That’s my best guess. And again, that can be either expedited or slowed down depending on where the milk price goes. Ted Jacoby III: Corn prices have really come down this year. Do you think the lower feed prices have lowered where that break even point is, or how low we need to go in milk price in order to really send those signals in a strong way? Gus Jacoby: Certainly, feed prices being lower are gonna be helpful to the farm economic model. This becomes a milk price discussion. If the cheese price continues to have that downward pressure and gets low enough, those feed prices won’t be low enough. It’s always related to their inputs. And certainly, cheap feed helps their cause to extend growth in the milk production model. Ted Jacoby III: Right now, on December 5th, the Class III prices for the first quarter are right around, let’s call it $15.50, but if you use today’s cheese price on the spot market at the CME in today’s whey price, you’re probably looking at something closer to $14, 14 and a quarter. [00:03:00] Is that low enough or do we need to go lower? Gus Jacoby: It’s low enough. But not low to expedite anything. Maybe that takes us into the late summer, and remember, it depends on where we’re talking here in the country. Milk production costs are different depending on where you exist in the country. And also payouts are a lot different in a lot of places, depending on where you exist in the country. So, some regions might struggle sooner than later. Ted Jacoby III: Which regions do you think are gonna struggle first? Gus Jacoby: The West, Pacific Northwest, I think California, areas like Idaho that are strongly cheese based. If you’re paying on a Class III price and it stabilizes, which I don’t anticipate here, then perhaps some of those regions might hold on longer. My guess is predicated on the forecast of Class III going a bit lower. Ted Jacoby III: I guess I’d have to agree with that ’cause I don’t think $14 a hundredweight is enough. Because we’re still in front of Christmas, and I think the market’s probably gonna get worse before it gets better. My hunch is we’re gonna see $13 milk this year. We’re gonna see it in Class IV, and we may be already [00:04:00] seeing it in Class IV as soon as December. I think we’re gonna see a 13 handle in Class III, probably most of the first quarter. Gus Jacoby: If you’ve got a Class III at 13, and Class IV holds as low as it is, which I would expect certainly in the first half of the year, and then you have your standard freight and other deducts in those milk checks, dairymen are now getting to an area that is very adverse. Ted Jacoby III: Even though we’re talking about really low prices, I think there’s a lot of dairy farmers out there that are in a pretty healthy place. Gus Jacoby: I would agree. Ted Jacoby III: They’re healthy in two ways. One, I think that many of them have been able to take the last two years and really pay down their debt. And so, they’re in a really good spot financially, just on the balance sheet alone. But the second thing is those cows, they’re worth twice what they were worth three years ago. And so, not only have they paid down their debt, but if they need to borrow more, they’ve got more collateral to borrow against because those cows are usually the collateral for the banks when the banks lend dairy farmers money. It’s [00:05:00] usually the cows and the land. My hunch is that this may go on longer than we expect because of how healthy dairy farmers are financially today. Not saying they’ll be healthy in four or five months, but they’re healthy today. And because of how much bankers are probably willing to lend them based on those balance sheets. Gus Jacoby: I agree that the balance sheets are strong at the moment, even after a couple tough months. But I would also add, that that can change fairly quickly if the milk price gets low enough. And it’s certainly a ratio of farm economics over a certain period of time and milk price. If it gets low enough and makes those farm economics adverse enough, it can expedite the issue, which is a plausible scenario right now. Ted Jacoby III: Mm-hmm. I would agree with that. I think the hardest thing, especially when you have a falling market like we do right now, is to try and figure out exactly where the bottom is. About a month ago, the bottom was about a $1.40. Well, guess what? Cheese price is already below a $1.40 Now, we’re hearing it’s gonna be [00:06:00] somewhere in the $1.20s. What I’m scared is we’re gonna get to the $1.20s, and somebody’s gonna start talking about maybe we need to go into the teens. I don’t know if we’re gonna go that low, but we’re definitely in that scenario right now, where you have a market that’s falling and nobody has a really good feel for where that bottom is. Gus Jacoby: I agree. Cheese and butter right now, their outlook over the next six to eight months does not look good. Ted Jacoby III: Yeah. You mentioned butter. Joe, I’ll ask you: we’re below a $1.50 in butter. Butter feels like maybe it’s caught a temporary floor. Is this a temporary floor or could we stabilize here for the next six months? Joe Maixner: I think we’ve hit a temporary floor, but I don’t think it’s the lowest we’ll see over the next 90 days. I think that cream seems to be in balance, even after Thanksgiving, and I think it’s kept a nice spot in the market where people are willing to buy, those that hadn’t already put contracts on for next year are seeing the 2026 numbers and they’re looking at that against their budgets and blocking volume up for next year. A [00:07:00] lot of first half volume’s already been booked. We’re just seeing more activity. We’ve hit that level of support. Ted Jacoby III: Joe, you mentioned cream. Gus, I’m gonna go back to you. We had some really ugly cream multiples the first half of last year. Have we increased churn capacity, and do we expect those multiples to be just as bad this year or have we increased churn capacity enough so that maybe they won’t quite get so bad? Gus Jacoby: We have increased churn capacity, certainly. I don’t know if it’s enough. Some dairymen around the country are feeding their rations a bit different and getting a little bit less butterfat out of the milk. I don’t think that’s enough, yet, to make too much change. I will anticipate having some very low multiples through the holidays and the spring flush. Ted Jacoby III: Okay. Diego, I’m gonna switch gears and come to you. We just talked about U.S. milk production. Gus thinks it’ll take about six months to turn. I hate to be really pessimistic, but my gut, and I just can’t shake this gut, is it’s gonna take longer than usual this time around. And we may see it go well past nine months before we see a real turn. [00:08:00] We may see the number get better simply because we’re measuring against strength, but that doesn’t mean we actually see a change in trend. What about Europe and some of the other milking regions in the world, is it gonna take that long us to see some changes in milk production in those regions? Diego Carvallo: If you just go to the fundamentals and you analyze that the European farmer usually has a smaller scale, and that means that their costs tend to be a little bit on the higher end. They do not have access to capital as there is in the U.S. There’s more restrictions when it comes to environmental, and overall I would say they have more headwinds than the U.S. So, if you add to all of those headwinds, the price headwind, the reaction on milk production to lower prices should be faster than in the U.S. The same applies to South America. But we’ve talked a lot about Chinese production, we know that in that country, there are way more things to take into account. Ted Jacoby III: [00:09:00] So, we’ve been talking a lot about the supply side today. We’re just overwhelming supply on the butter side; we’re overwhelming demand to a lesser extent, but still on the cheese side. Josh, protein still tends to be the shining star. But are we getting to a point where we’re starting to get some pushback on protein prices? And is that going to continue to be the lone bull in an overall bearish dairy market, or do we need to be concerned there too? Josh White: I don’t think we’re getting pushback at the prices quite yet. Does that mean I think that these prices are palatable over the long term? I’m unsure. But what we are seeing right now is lack of availability and no quick ability by the European market or the U.S. market to scale production to meet the demand, which means that ultimately, the demand for WPC 80 and WPI and then some of the more value-added proteins, particularly in the whey complex, like the clear WPIs, the acidified products and others, the demand is outpacing our ability to supply it. What that’s [00:10:00] doing is forcing utilization segments or customers that can’t compete in terms of price for that available supply to look to alternatives. We’re starting to see more and more of that. As a commodity trader, we expect that to happen quicker than it does. So, already in early 2025, we were looking towards MPCs, casein-related products and others to pick up some of that demand because they’re much lower value. And I don’t think that the average customer in the market that’s using whey proteins fully recognize the functional differences between whey proteins and milk proteins. And they certainly don’t realize that milk protein concentrate has whey protein in it. Generally speaking, the average consumer doesn’t know the difference in these products. That’s not a fault of theirs. Particularly going into CPG applications and further processing, this is an ingredient. An ingredient that has a lot of label recognition and popularity right now for all the reasons we’ve talked about in prior podcasts: GLP-1 driven demand, [00:11:00] health and wellness movements globally, a lot of other reasons. Is that an early indication that enough time has now passed that the relative value of whey protein above the competing, but still quite valuable proteins in the dairy complex, are gonna result in substitution both substitution within the dairy category to whey protein to milk protein concentrates to micellar casein to WPC 70, also known as WPPC, whey protein phospholipid concentrate (WPPC) ProCream. There’s a lot of different names for these products. That’s likely to happen. But it also, unfortunately, might result in a lot of categories pushing to non-dairy proteins. There’s a lot of information out there, things put on by ADPI and others talking about the protein power of dairy and how digestible it is. How high quality it is for your conversion rate, why it’s such a popular thing. But if you can’t get supply, you’re forced to look to alternatives. And so, we’re starting to see some of that [00:12:00] happen. So, a couple things that I’ve heard anecdotally in the market over the past few weeks in particular, but it’s been happening over the last few months are: get us samples of milk protein concentrate. One of our customers is suspending a certain SKU on the shelf because they can’t get the supply. This price simply won’t work for our application. So, we won’t buy this product at above this price. So, we are triggering some thresholds. And triggering thresholds is gonna have some type of balancing result in the industry. Whether that’s enough to support the milk protein side of the equation, I don’t know. We have a limit to the ability to respond to this demand. You have to order equipment, you have to get the bank lending, you’ve gotta get the design. It takes a long time to increase capacity. That’s all gonna come into play and impact this market and the balance of this market in 2026. Now, if you’re asking me, is my gut that we hold these high prices or even higher prices without some reversal in the price [00:13:00] action for whey proteins in 2026? I’m not ready to say that it’s just here or higher in 26, but is it here or higher in the first quarter? Absolutely. Is it here higher in the second quarter, probably. Is it here or higher after that? I become a little bit skeptical. And to be clear, that’s not because the demand isn’t there right now. The demand feels like it’s there. I just don’t know how the market balances it out without pushing the price just too high in the short term for the market to digest it and pass it through. I also think that when you’re talking about the dairymen and you’re talking about the cheese makers, there is two different classes here. There is the class of those that make whey proteins and the class of those that do not. That has a material impact on profitability throughout the supply chain. Additionally, we’ve got a lot of milk in the U.S. We’ve got a lot of milk in the world right now, and the milk in the Northern hemisphere altogether is only gonna increase from here through the first half of [00:14:00] the year. That milk is gonna need to be processed. The incremental milk production will result in incremental whey protein availability, which means that those whey solids from cheese processors they have to find a market. If you can’t make the valuable product of WPC 80 and WPI, you have to explore the other alternatives, which are simply not experiencing the robust demand of those two categories. Sweet whey powder, whey protein concentrate 34% (WPC 34) and some of these other products, they have a limit to what people are willing to pay. History tells us, at least for sweet whey powder, we’re testing those limits. Ted Jacoby III: For sweet whey powder, we are, the question is, is this happening for whey protein? And that’s a harder one to answer. Josh White: Absolutely. Ted Jacoby III: I did some back of the envelope math. As a country, we produce 8% to 9% more milk in May on a daily basis than we do in November. If half of that milk goes into cheese, we’ll produce 8% more cheese and 8% perhaps more whey protein. The solids change, too. So, maybe it’s not a full [00:15:00] 8%, but is 8% enough to tip the scale on whey protein demand? And I don’t know, given the demand complex for whey, I think for cheese it’s gonna feel very burdensome. I think for butter, it would probably feel pretty burdensome. The butter market we’re kind of used to it because of the way the demand curve looks, but I just don’t know when it comes to whey, if that’s enough to put some pressure on this market and bring those prices down. Josh White: Well, it depends on what you’re talking about because you could argue that the WPC and WPI facilities are bringing in outside whey solids. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. As their own milk and their own whey generation increases seasonally, that’s gonna push whey solids back to somebody else. So, all 8% in your hypothesis there, I doubt contributes to an 8% increase in whey protein production. Because the available capacity isn’t there? Josh White: Correct. Now, is there production efficiencies that are still gonna be gained? Are there those out there that are expanding a bit [00:16:00] that we’re unaware of? Are there orders for new equipment in the system that might be closer to realization than we think? All possible. And we can’t ignore Europe. I don’t feel like I can adequately represent what the expansion model looks like in Europe right now for whey proteins. What I can say is that at least for the U.S. and Europe, our internal demand is currently absorbing a greater percentage of our production than ever before, and that’s leaving the rest of the world that was buying product from those two markets, having to search for that protein elsewhere. Ted Jacoby III: Mm-hmm. Josh White: And, this is being a bit over generic, but the rest of the world likely will be more willing to substitute than the U.S. or the European consumer to other products. Ted Jacoby III: I would agree with that. Everybody in our office is just leaning really bearish, just about everybody we talk to seems to be leaning really bearish. Josh White: Outside of Black Swan events: major trade disruptions, major production impacts that we can’t predict. If you’ve [00:17:00] been in the dairy industry long enough, you know to never bet against the dairymen and their ability to make milk. But it’s gotta be on the radar that the competitive dollars for those animals I don’t think has ever been as lucrative as it is right now. And those animals that they’re currently milking are older then typically they want them to be. So, if we shift this cycle quickly enough and violently enough, and that’s price, at what moment do we get surprised at what that residual response is? How many pent up animals find their way to slaughter? How quickly that could happen. And I think generally speaking, most of us would bet that the calf inside the dairy cow right now is worth enough to wait. And so, we’ve gotta get through the first half of the Northern Hemisphere season before we see much of an animal response. Ted Jacoby III: I think that’s a fair comment. Dairy farmers, especially the big financially astute ones, there’s a math equation. It’s like, this is my revenue [00:18:00] from milk. This is my maybe revenue from biofuels or wherever else. They have revenue streams from a cow that’s giving milk every day. This is the cost to maintain that cow. The variable cost feed, for example, being the big one. Well, when you’re getting $20, a hundredweight from your milk versus $13, a hundredweight for your milk. That equation has changed quite a bit, whereas the exit price, what you’re gonna get if you sell the cow hasn’t changed at all, which means your math equation, the exit possibility has definitely gone up. It’s more profitable to sell this cow than it used to be. Josh White: History tells us that the exits of the older dairymen and the smaller dairies doesn’t really change based on economic conditions, it’s relatively stable. Maybe there’s some risk that we have some pent up exits and some risk that it’s never been a better time to retire. Mm-hmm. And you get some smaller dairies that decide to exit. That doesn’t move the needle. Ted Jacoby III: I would suspect. You’re right. We’ll see. Josh White: One [00:19:00] quick remark that’s important is the outlook on demand. It seems like the market is very, very bearish because supply is outpacing demand globally and it’s in every major milk shed. But demand by import regions has been pretty good. Mm-hmm. They’ve been buying year over year, more dairy products. At the same time, I don’t believe there’s any region in the world that’s currently sitting on cumbersome overall dairy stocks, whether that’s from the import regions or the production regions. Everyone seems to be quite aware that you gotta stay in front of this. I don’t know how to interpret that. On one hand, you could say that based on some of the economic outlooks, globally, we shouldn’t be expecting things to get better. We should be expecting them to get at best the same or possibly even worse. On the other side of that equation is import dairy consumption and demand is growing and continues to grow, so it might be a painful period, but the long-term [00:20:00] outlook remains pretty good, and we just overreacted to some of the demand signals that we have. Credit to the dairymen in the world, being able to respond to signals that we needed more fat, not even a year ago. That whey protein demand’s good. I mean, the market has responded, but overall we’re not talking about an oversupply situation because demand’s bad. If you go granularly, like U.S. cheese consumption, doesn’t look real great right now. The outlook for overall economic health, I’m not an expert in that area, but I’m not seeing a lot of people talking about a rosy 12 to 24 months there. So, yeah, I think generally speaking, it’s easy to be bearish, but maybe that’s one thing to pay attention. Ted Jacoby III: You mentioned demand. I happened to be involved in a conversation yesterday with an equities trader and his comment about stock valuations, equities, valuations, which was really a demand comment, was, I’m just waiting to see what Christmas sales do. I think there’s a lot of people out there right now that are trying to get a feel for what’s [00:21:00] the long-term demand or the 2026 demand perspective, and I think a lot of them are gonna judge what it really is based on how this holiday season plays out. All right guys. Hey, thanks for a great conversation. I apologize to all the dairy farmers out there that I couldn’t give you any better news, but hang in there that good news will come eventually. That’s right.
On WeatherBrains this week, we're diving deep into the Weather Prediction Center's Winter Program - how they forecast snow and ice, the challenges of nailing accumulation totals, the coordination calls with NWS field offices, and what the future may hold for winter weather headlines. Joining us are two of WC's best: Peter Mullinax, a lead winter forecaster who produces national snow and ice guidance, Key Messages, and a wide range of surface, short-range, rainfall, and tropical products; and Dr. Owen Shieh, WPC's Warning Coordination Meteorologist, providing national-level decision support for winter storms, flooding, and extreme temperatures. He returns after last week's episode, bringing his deep background in emergency management, training, and operational meteorology from JTWC to the U.S. Navy Reserve. Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: email@weatherbrains.com. How many people work at the Weather Prediction Center? (15:30) WPC Ops Program (15:45) WPC's Excessive Rainfall Outlook (18:00) What is the Winter Storm Severity Index (WSSI)? (26:00) Why does the SPC do the Winter Weather mesoscale discussions? (40:00) Does WPC use MBM, and what is their future plan? (47:00) Probabilistic Precipitation Portal (49:15) AI and its assistance to WFOs in the future (01:08:00) Reducing common gaps between WFO and WPC messaging (01:13:30) Probabilistic Precipitation Portal good/bad (01:19:00) Job-seeking advice at the WPC (01:27:00) The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:30:30) This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:33:15) E-Mail Segment (01:34:15) and more! Web Sites from Episode 1038: Alabama Weather Network Picks of the Week: Owen Shieh - NWS Probabilistic Precipitation Portal Owen Shieh - WPC URRD (Urban Rain Rate Dashboard) James Aydelott - Creek turnpike bridge over the Arkansas River Jen Narramore - National Weather Network Rick Smith - Dan Robinson - Winter Driving Education YouTube Channel Troy Kimmel - EverythingWeather App on Google Play Kim Klockow-McClain - John Fausett Song: One Team John Gordon - Godzilla atmospheric river in Pacific Northwest Bill Murray - Out James Spann - Nick Petelos on X: Kilauea video The WeatherBrains crew includes your host, James Spann, plus other notable geeks like Troy Kimmel, Bill Murray, Rick Smith, James Aydelott, Jen Narramore, John Gordon, and Dr. Kim Klockow-McClain. They bring together a wealth of weather knowledge and experience for another fascinating podcast about weather.
"My Mom told me, 'Howdy, Son.'" We're back with another edition of the new series for The Smashing Pumpkast entitled, “Radio, Play My Favorite Song,” where I talk to YOU, the Pumpkinhead, about one of your favorite WPC & SP-related tracks. Returning to the 'kast is the mysterious Zlong Azayasam (whose pseudonym I have yet to correctly pronounce). We discuss the Shudder to Think track on the movie soundtrack "First Love, Last Rites", "When I Was Born, I Was Bored" with Billy Corgan on main vocals. We have a great conversation about this track and so much more. If you were born bored, you won't be anymore, listening to this episode! Rawk. Support the 'kast!MERCHOur PATREONbuymeacoffee.com/PumpkastPlease rate and review us!Follow us on the socials:Instagram: @smashingpumpkastBluesky: @smashingpumpkastTwitter: @PumpkinsPodcast
The salient point of today's discourse revolves around the imminent weather developments across the United States, particularly emphasizing the marginal risk of excessive rainfall along the central Gulf coast and the anticipated atmospheric river affecting the Pacific Northwest. I elucidate the potential for localized flash flooding in coastal regions due to persistent showers. Concurrently, I provide updates regarding winter weather advisories and warnings for several states, including Michigan and Colorado, where hazardous travel is expected due to heavy snowfall. Additionally, I draw attention to the coastal flood advisories in various regions, underscoring the need for vigilance as high tides may lead to minor inundation. This comprehensive weather briefing serves to prepare our audience for the diverse meteorological challenges that lie ahead.Takeaways:* The Weather Prediction Center has issued a Day One marginal risk for excessive rainfall along the central Gulf Coast, indicating possible weather-related impacts. * Localized flash flooding is anticipated in areas where persistent showers develop near coastal regions, necessitating vigilance among residents. * A strong atmospheric river event is forecasted for the Pacific Northwest early next week, which may influence local weather patterns significantly. * Winter weather advisories remain active across multiple states, including Alaska and Michigan, highlighting ongoing hazardous conditions due to snow and freezing temperatures. * Coastal flood advisories have been issued for various regions, including North Carolina and Oregon, in response to high tide events that may lead to minor inundation. * Overall, careful monitoring of weather patterns and advisories is essential as conditions continue to evolve across the United States. Sources[WPC Day 1 ERO | https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/qpf/ero.php?day=1&opt=curr][NWS Mobile | https://www.weather.gov/mob/].NCEP Weather Prediction Center+1][NWS Anchorage | https://www.weather.gov/afc].[NWS LOX | https://forecast.weather.gov/wwamap/wwatxtget.php?cwa=usa&wwa=high+surf+advisory][NWS SF Bay Area | https://www.weather.gov/mtr/][NWS Grand Junction | https://forecast.weather.gov/showsigwx.php?product1=Winter+Weather+Advisory&firewxzone=COZ205][NWS LIX | https://www.weather.gov/lix/][WPC | https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/qpf/ero.php?day=1&opt=curr][NWS APX | https://www.weather.gov/apx/][NWS Missoula | https://forecast.weather.gov/wwamap/wwatxtget.php?cwa=mso&wwa=winter+weather+advisory][NWS Buffalo | https://www.weather.gov/buf/BUFHWOBUF][NWS WWA (ILM) | https://forecast.weather.gov/wwamap/wwatxtget.php?cwa=usa&wwa=coastal+flood+advisory][NWS Wilmington | https://www.weather.gov/ilm/][NWS Portland | https://www.weather.gov/wwamap/wwatxtget.php?cwa=pqr&wwa=all][NWS Nashville | https://forecast.weather.gov/wwamap/wwatxtget.php?cwa=usa&wwa=winter+weather+advisory][NWS EWX AFD | https://forecast.weather.gov/product.php?issuedby=EWX&product=AFD&site=EWX][NWS EWX | https://www.weather.gov/ewx/][NWS WWA | https://forecast.weather.gov/wwamap/wwatxtget.php?cwa=usa&wwa=coastal+flood+advisory][NWS Seattle | https://www.weather.gov/sew/][WPC | https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/discussions/pmdepd.html] This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit emnetwork.substack.com/subscribe
Tonight's Guest WeatherBrain is WPC's WCM Warning Coordination Meteorologist Dr. Owen Shieh. He holds a B.S. in Atmospheric Science from Cornell University, an M.S. in Meteorology from the University of Oklahoma, and a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Hawaii. We talk tonight about how Owen landed this position and all of the aspects of his role. He's also a talented gardener and an accomplished musician. Welcome to the show and thanks for joining us, Owen! Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: email@weatherbrains.com. Owen's origin into meteorology (11:00) Path heads from OU to Hawaii (17:30) What is the baseline understanding of weather and emergency management? (27:15) Discussing the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (34:00) Current and future warning process for Pacific Super Typhoons (41:00) Defining the strength of a tropical cyclone (01:04:00) Geopolitics and meteorology (01:18:00) Battling trolls and misinformation online (01:32:30) The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:37:00) This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:40:00) E-Mail Segment (01:41:45) and more! Web Sites from Episode 1037: Alabama Weather Network Picks of the Week: Owen Shieh - Untamed Skies: Where Science Meets Humanity James Aydelott - Out Jen Narramore - Talking Weather by Mark Sudduth: Episode 1 on YouTube Rick Smith - NWS/OCLO Warning Decision Training Division: RAC Course Outline Troy Kimmel - COMET: MetEd Education and Training Kim Klockow-McClain - Midway: Based On Real Events John Gordon - What is Tule fog? Heather Waldman explains! Bill Murray - Out James Spann - NWS Snow Squall Driving Simulation The WeatherBrains crew includes your host, James Spann, plus other notable geeks like Troy Kimmel, Bill Murray, Rick Smith, James Aydelott, Jen Narramore, John Gordon, and Dr. Kim Klockow-McClain. They bring together a wealth of weather knowledge and experience for another fascinating podcast about weather.
The primary focus of this podcast episode is the severe winter weather conditions affecting the upper Midwest and Great Lakes region, which are anticipated to create hazardous travel scenarios during the holiday period. The National Weather Service has issued blizzard and winter storm warnings, particularly for parts of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, with expectations of dangerous travel due to whiteouts and wind gusts reaching 40 to 50 miles per hour. Additionally, heavy lake effect snow is forecasted through Thanksgiving, while other regions, such as Hawaii, have experienced seismic activity, including a magnitude 4.6 earthquake. Furthermore, it is essential for residents affected by Typhoon Halong in Alaska to be aware of impending deadlines for federal assistance, specifically noting that they have until December 22 to apply for aid. This episode serves to inform listeners of critical weather updates and safety recommendations in light of these significant meteorological events.Takeaways:* The National Weather Service has issued blizzard and winter storm warnings for Michigan's Upper Peninsula, indicating severe weather conditions. * Travel during the holiday season may be perilous due to blizzard conditions, with whiteouts and gusts reaching 40 to 50 miles per hour. * It is crucial for residents in affected areas to apply for disaster assistance by December 22, to secure necessary support. * Heavy lake effect snow is anticipated through Thanksgiving, yet minimal flood risk is expected nationwide, as per the Weather Prediction Center. * The recent earthquake in Hawaii was recorded at a magnitude of 4.6, but no tsunami warning has been issued for this inland quake. * Various states are experiencing winter weather warnings, particularly in the northern regions, with significant snowfall projected. Sources[NWS | https://www.weather.gov/][WPC | https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/index.php][NHC | https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/?atl=][USGS | https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/hv74837442][FEMA | https://www.fema.gov/press-release/20251126/one-month-later-state-federal-support-crosses-41-million][USGS | https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/hv74837442][NWS Chicago AFD | https://forecast.weather.gov/product.php?issuedby=LOT&product=AFD&site=LOT][NWS Marquette Blizzard Warning | https://forecast.weather.gov/showsigwx.php?warnzone=MIZ002&product1=Blizzard+Warning][NWS Grand Rapids | https://www.weather.gov/grr/][WPC Heavy Snow/Icing Discussion | https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/index.php][NWS Twin Cities | https://www.weather.gov/mpx/][NWS Duluth WWA + DSS packet | https://www.weather.gov/dlh/],[https://www.weather.gov/media/dlh/DssPacket.pdf][NWS Great Falls WWA | https://forecast.weather.gov/wwamap/wwatxtget.php?cwa=byz&wwa=winter+weather+advisory][NWS Missoula Advisory | https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=46.8618743542192&lon=-114.0166257347891][NWS Buffalo Hazardous Weather Outlook/Headlines | https://www.weather.gov/buf/BUFHWOBUF][NWS Cleveland AFD | https://forecast.weather.gov/product.php?issuedby=CLE&product=AFD&site=CLE][NWS CLE hazard page (Jefferson example with active warnings) | https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?textField1=41.4797&textField2=-81.6785][NWS Cleveland—PA Lake Effect Snow Warning | https://forecast.weather.gov/showsigwx.php?warnzone=PAZ001&product1=Lake+Effect+Snow+Warning][NWS Duluth WWA | https://www.weather.gov/wwamap/wwatxtget.php?cwa=dlh&wwa=winter%20storm%20warning][NWS Cheyenne | https://www.weather.gov/cys/] This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit emnetwork.substack.com/subscribe
Bentornati e bentornate su Azure Italia Podcast, il podcast in italiano su Microsoft Azure!Per non perderti nessun nuovo episodio clicca sul tasto FOLLOW del tuo player
Whether in Olympia or other urban parts of our state, there seems to be a big misunderstanding or ignorance of what the H-2A guestworker visa program is and how it works.
Whether in Olympia or other urban parts of our state, there seems to be a big misunderstanding or ignorance of what the H-2A guestworker visa program is and how it works.
Milk production is up 4.2% year over year, components are climbing and prices are falling. As holiday orders wrap up and we head into the long winter, The Milk Check team digs into whether dairy markets have already found a floor, or if there's still another leg down to go. With milk products everywhere (except for whey), the Jacoby team shares where the market is and where we're going. They churn through: Butter at $1.50 and what heavy cream and higher components mean after the holidays Why cheese feels like a calm before the storm, and how far Class III could grind lower Nonfat and skim: long milk, growing inventories and buyers shopping the cheapest origin Why whey proteins are the outlier, with tight supply, strong demand and GLP-1 tailwinds Global milk growth, clustered demand (Ramadan, Chinese New Year, Super Bowl) and who blinks first between the U.S. and Europe In this episode of The Milk Check, host Ted Jacoby III is joined by Joe Maixner, Jacob Menge, Diego Carvallo, Josh White and Mike Brown for a rapid-fire market session on butter, cheese, nonfat and proteins. Listen now for The Milk Check's latest market read on butter, cheese, nonfat and whey. Got questions? We'd love to hear them. Submit below, and we might answer it on the show. Ask The Milk Check Ted Jacoby III: Welcome back, everybody, to The Milk Check podcast. Today we’re gonna have a market discussion. It is November 10th. We are in the last couple of weeks of the quote-unquote busy season, starting to get a feel for what we think is gonna happen to dairy markets as holiday orders are filled, and we transition into the long-term period of the year. In the last few weeks, we’ve actually seen prices drop, but it feels like butter’s kind of dropped down to about a $1.50/lb and seems to find at least a brief floor. We’ll talk to Joe and find out if Joe thinks we’re gonna stick around here for a while. The cheese market was up in the $1.80s/lb. It’s dropped to a little below $1.70, starting to hit a little bit of resistance. Jake will share with us a little bit about what we think is happening with cheese going forward. Nonfat dropped a little bit down to [00:01:00], about what Diego, about a $1.10/lb and had a little bounce off its floor. Meanwhile, the whey complex just continues to go up. We’ll check in with Josh and find out what’s going on there. Well, let’s go ahead and start with milk production. We just got released today, the September milk production, and it says it’s up 4.2%, which is a very, very big number. It’s November; milk is longer than it usually is this time of year. Usually, it’s quite tight, and it’s not quite tight, but I wouldn’t call it long. However, all the signs are there that once we get past the fall holiday order season, milk could get quite long. If September milk is up 4.2%, I think it’s safe to say that if that continues, we will be quite long milk as we transition from the typical seasonal tightness of the fall into the winter and the flush of the spring. 4.2% is a big number, and that’s not even taking into account the fact that the solids in the milk are up as well. That’s not the kind of tone that a dairy farmer wants us to set as we’re talking about what supply and demand looks like, but there’s a lot of milk out there, [00:02:00] Joe, does that mean there’s a lot of butter out there, too? Joe Maixner: Well, there’s still a lot of butter out there; sounds like there’s going to be a lot more butter coming soon. If milk’s up 4%, cream was heavy all of last winter and into last Spring, extremely heavy. If we have higher components, more milk, and we’ve got a full amount of milk coming outta California as well after coming off of bird flu last year, there’s just gonna be that much more cream in the system and more getting pushed back into the churns. So, it’s a very good possibility that we’re gonna go even lower than where we currently are. Volume seems to be trading well. The cream demand has been fairly steady, going into cultured products and the shorter shelf-life products. Cream’s still long, but it’s not swimming yet. Ted Jacoby III: Will we hold this $1.50 area through Thanksgiving, you think? Joe Maixner: Yeah, it seems like we’ve hit a spot where buyers are willing to step in. So, there’s a good chance that we could hang around this $1.50 area for the next couple of weeks. Once the last little spurt of holiday demand is over, we’re gonna take another leg lower. Ted Jacoby III: Okay. Jake, what about [00:03:00] cheese? Jacob Menge: I think we had a little reprieve from some cheese bearishness with the holiday demand. It’s tough, though, especially with this wall of milk that’s headed our way. Does it seem like the bottom’s ready to drop out? Probably not yet. But it still seems like it’s a possibility. It almost seems like the call before the storm. Ted Jacoby III: What you’re saying is: we’ve already dropped quite a bit, but we’re in typical low points, but it’s possible, considering the amount of supply coming our way, that there’s still another cliff to negotiate, and we could go a lot lower when it comes to Class III milk and cheese prices. Jacob Menge: If you zoom out a ways, going back to mid-2022, we’ve really not liked to go below that $1.55 level on futures. We’re kind of at another support level at this $1.65. Those seem like our two support areas, historically, for the last 3, 4 years. So, it’s probably gonna be one of those grinds lower if we move lower from here, versus that $1.85 to $1.65 was almost an air pocket drop. [00:04:00] It seems like the market’s gonna have to earn it if it moves lower from here, but it does seem like a possibility. Ted Jacoby III: When we get down to these levels, this usually tends to form the floor, and if we have so much cheese out there and so much milk out there that we’re gonna go lower from here, it’s probably not an air pocket drop; it’s probably a grind lower from here. Jacob Menge: Yeah, I think our lows, on the futures, for the past 4 years have been that $1.55. Don’t quote me on that, gimme a couple of cents on either side of that. But that means we got a dime from here to hit those five-year lows, you know, besides COVID. There’s a lot to be said for technical trading at those levels. So, it would take a big fundamental kind of wave supply to get us to crack that. Ted Jacoby III: Got it. Thank you. Diego. What about nonfat? What’s the international market doing? We know we have a lot of milk in North America. We have a lot of milk everywhere. And what does it mean? Diego Carvallo: Customers are also seeing the data, and it seems like they’re in no rush to buy nonfat. Right. Nonfat seems to be the product that is 00:05:00 consistently available. We haven’t seen a very tight market in several years. So, it seems customers are more concerned about other products like WPCs or maybe cheese, other products besides nonfat. So, they’re staying very hand-to-mouth. They’re being very flexible when it comes to origin and just buying spot and from the origin that offers them the cheapest skim milk powder delivered price, which, in most cases, for the past few months, has been either European or New Zealand product because of the shipment time, transit time, and tariffs. Ted Jacoby III: Has the inventory in the U.S. been building as a result? Diego Carvallo: Yes, it has, Ted. Yep. Inventory has been building. I was looking into the milk production numbers for September. California was relatively stable compared to the previous year. I think we grew by 2.5% versus the previous year. But the strong impact from avian [00:06:00] influenza was actually in October. So, that’s when we might see a big jump between California production for 2024 and California production for 2025. So, I thought the Milk Report was pretty bearish for nonfat. Next month could be as bearish or even more. I still believe that we’re gonna see a lot of product going into the dryers, and that’s gonna add pressure, and that’s gonna increase inventories for U.S. products. Ted Jacoby III: What does milk production look like in Europe? Diego Carvallo: They’re actually up quite a bit. I think their September number was also stronger than expected. I can’t recall the exact number, but it was stronger than expected, even though they have cut down on the farmer price, the FrieslandCampina, which is the number one benchmark. It still seems like, with corn moving lower, there’s still a number that incentivizes more milk production. For the next few months until we see a stronger cotton price, we’re gonna see plenty of milk from the U.S. and from Europe. Ted Jacoby III: [00:07:00] Okay, thanks. Appreciate it, Diego. Josh, so what about the protein market? Josh White: Yeah, same story. I don’t know why everybody else is having so many problems with their products because whey proteins are in demand and it continues to be very strong. WPC 80, WPI demand is outpacing supply. People are trying to book forward and can’t. By all reports, the demand on the consumer level remains pretty good. It’s a bit of an outlier. It’s definitely a mystery. A lot of the discussion centers around GLP-1 adoption in the U.S. Compared to a year ago, I think I read this morning, something like 12% of Americans are allegedly using GLP-1-related drugs for weight loss. Assuming that’s an accurate statistic, that’s a noteworthy number of people. There was a lot of discussion last year that as people come on things like Wegovy and Ozempic, at what moment do we mature to the point that people beginning their cycles of taking the drugs equal those coming off of those drugs? There’s just been a lot of headlines about more affordable access to these types of products. If that continues, that shifts this curve even a little bit further up. [00:08:00] What can reverse that trend or slow down the demand for the whey protein side? I think it takes a production response. I can imagine that any manufacturer that’s making whey-related products as a byproduct of their cheese production is exploring how to access this demand, in particular, the whey protein isolate demand. I don’t have the impression that equipment is any easier to get, and there are still plenty of obstacles in terms of making production changes at the processor side. It feels to me like at least through the first half of this year, we’re gonna continue to be under-supplied relative to the demand that’s out there. And I think it’s important to note that although we’re talking about good demand for these products, the GLP-1-related impact on the dairy market isn’t all positive. It’s certainly a positive on the whey protein side. Still, I think, as it relates to consumer demand for butterfat, cheese products, and some of the other snack foods that dairy products are used in, in the CPG space, people are consuming fewer calories. Throughout the rest of the world, this health and wellness [00:09:00] trend and this appetite for quality protein are everywhere. Their demand continues to be very strong internationally. Maybe a couple of other things that are noteworthy, maybe early indicators of the price stabilizing, it looks like Europe and the U.S. might be closer to parity for the first time in a while. So, we should watch that. We will see seasonal production levels start to increase a bit. I don’t know if that will one-for-one find its way into additional whey protein availability, but it certainly should help the situation as we get into heavier production months in the Northern hemisphere markets that produce these products. But other than that, demand remains very, very strong. Prices are firm. They appear they’ll continue to be through at minimum the first quarter. And I don’t think it’s going out on a ledge to say through the first half of the year. And then we’ll see what happens on the other side of it. But yeah, definitely a firm marketplace right now, Ted. Ted Jacoby III: What about milk protein concentrate, milk protein isolate? Are we starting to see the value of those products increase and close the gap between the [00:10:00] whey protein, since the whey proteins have gotten so expensive? Josh White: I’ll jump in and say we’re starting to see some early indications of that: people looking for substitutes where they can. If you’re not in these markets every day, you don’t know what products are available. If you’re in the CPG space or using it as one of many, many SKUs that you’re buying, you’re not aware of the functional properties and some of these other things. And there’s also a decision-making timeline that people have to consider. Not only are there labeling concerns and other things, but there’s a lot of protein that’s consumed as an ingredient and maybe not the primary ingredient. And oftentimes, those decisions are not easy to formulate or change, and they’re also made over larger durations of time, like annual pricing. We’ve had such a wide gap for a long enough time now that we have customers asking questions, and customers that are on the lower end of the valorization for these products are looking for substitutes. Those substitutes come in a couple of ways. They can come from substituting away from dairy, substituting for other [00:11:00] dairy or trading down to lower dairy-related protein products. We’re seeing people investigate all of them. Diego might be able to speak more precisely about what’s happening with the MPC prices. But generally speaking, the majority of people out there are starting to ask questions. I’m not so sure it’s having a material impact or moving the needle quite yet on substitution. Ted Jacoby III: Okay, well, it feels a little bit like a broken record. Milk everywhere, product everywhere except for whey, maybe that’s exactly the loop we’re in right now. Joe Maixner: We’ve talked a lot about supply and excess and whatnot, but demand, it feels like we’re increasingly teetering towards a crumbling economic situation with higher debt, people not having much discretionary income, and just overall demand being weak. Ted Jacoby III: So, if you’re looking at the demand numbers that we track, restaurant traffic is definitely down. It is clear that the economic environment we’re in, people’s pocketbooks are being stretched thin, and they’re cutting back on how often they go to restaurants and eat at [00:12:00] restaurants. Now, usually when that happens, there’s an offset into the retail side, and the retail side numbers usually go up a little bit. You are seeing that. Speaking to some of our branded customers, what they’re telling us is their sales are down, and the private label guys are saying, well, their sales are up, but frankly, not as much as they expected. The bottom has not dropped out yet. I think everybody’s watching it pretty closely. I think the industry’s concerned. I’ll leave it at that. Mike Brown: I think food service continues to be the big stickler on overall dairy sales. Grocery sales are okay. Food service continues to be weak, and that’s gonna affect us. Mm-hmm. Particularly, I think some of the high-fat products. Josh White: When we’re looking at it from the home front, it doesn’t feel real great, but if we’re looking at just how much additional milk we have globally, including out of Oceana and out of South America, and looking at how much of that surplus milk globally is being consumed in Asia right now, I mean they’ve been buying I wonder if that points to some brightness, at least some positives? Now, I also am a little [00:13:00] concerned that we have a consolidation of demand events, with Chinese New Year buying at the same time that Ramadan continues to move earlier and earlier every year. And prices are low right now. Feels like we might have a big concentration of demand that’s meant to satisfy local needs in the early part of 2026, but there has been a lot of international trade. Ted Jacoby III: I think you’re absolutely right. Ramadan and the Chinese New Year are both in February. Diego Carvallo: The word in the street, Ted, is that most of the Ramadan and New Year’s demand is gonna be fulfilled by the middle of November. Ted Jacoby III: In other words, by the time we get to January 1st, those orders are gone. Mike Brown: Yeah. And Super Bowl is 10 days before the start of Ramadan in the Chinese New Year. So, they’re all pretty close together. Josh White: I went back to saying that, hey, we’ve got a lot of milk globally, every surplus region’s producing more milk than expected. You mentioned earlier, Ted, that doesn’t even account for the component growth that we have here. That’s been fairly impressive. [00:14:00] What’s been interesting about that is it hasn’t felt this heavy. You might believe, well, it doesn’t feel as heavy because the Northern Hemisphere is at its low milk production points. Maybe it doesn’t feel as heavy because we’ve got a concentration of additional demand, but we’re trading a lot of anticipatory supply concerns. We’re really trading the fact that tomorrow we’re worried we have a lot of incremental milk, globally, that we don’t necessarily know where we’re gonna go with it. That’s not a reason to get bullish, to be super clear, but I do think that if we’re thinking through vulnerabilities in the market, that might be one. Ted Jacoby III: I would agree with that. I think there are three things that are probably keeping this market from going straight to the bottom. One, as you said, we’re at the low point seasonally for milk production in the Northern Hemisphere. Two, we are at the high point for demand everywhere. And three, you get to a certain point, and I think we are there in all products, we may actually be passed there in butter, but we are there in cheese, I think we’re there in nonfat, where [00:15:00] in order to go lower, you need to build up supply to the point where the inventories become actually burdensome, and I don’t think they have become burdensome yet, but I would expect that sometime in the first quarter of 2026, they will. You’ll start hearing reports that warehouses are full. You’ll start hearing reports that, from a cashflow perspective, whether it’s traders, whether it’s manufacturers, you have people who just need to dump inventory because they don’t have the cash flow to continue to hold inventory. Those are the things that drive markets to their lows. And so, if you think about the old saying: the cure for high prices is high prices, and the cure for low prices is low prices, that’s when you find out what the low price is, and then you go to that place that sends the strongest supply signal possible to suppliers that they need to cut back. Mike Brown: I was at a cattle show of all things this weekend and was talking with someone about feeding palm oil to get butterfat. His rule of thumb was that a pound of palm oil costs about a dollar, and you get about a 00:16:00 three-to-five-point increase in fat test from that. So, if you say 0.4 and you’re a 90-pound Holstein herd, that’s 0.36 pounds of fat. So, you’re paying a dollar to produce, there’s roughly 50, 60 cents worth of butter fat. So, we may start to see that come into conversations on rations. Josh White: And if we’re looking for optimism, I think that formula is pretty openly discussed in Europe as well. So, you’ve got a situation now where you have the on-farm milk price that is beginning to drop, the signals there that it needs to come down. It’s moving at a decent clip, to Diego’s point, maybe not enough to make any major change yet, but for planning purposes, things like feeding for fat might be a bit more vulnerable going forward there. So yeah, if we’re looking for what could start to correct our oversupply situation or what could potentially stabilize or support the market, we need time. I think that’s the most important thing that needs to happen, is we need time, and we need a milk price that curtails any additional production growth [00:17:00] for the moment so that demand can catch up. We talked about the U.S. situation and how the consumer spending situation doesn’t feel great. But globally, per capita butterfat consumption globally is growing. Per capita protein consumption is growing. We just need to give the demand time to catch up. Inventories might be starting to build, but they’re nowhere nearcumbersome. I would actually argue, our supply chain is still very thin. I wouldn’t even argue that we’re getting to a point where we’re normal by historical standards. I think that we have a pretty thin supply chain, and that’s everything from measurable inventory and reports, like cold storage reports and manufacturing stocks here in the U.S., but all the way through the pipeline. I don’t believe that many end users are sitting on excess product or have too many days in inventory. I think they’ve been quite comfortable buying hand-to-mouth. And the only product they’re being punished on right now for that is whey proteins. Ted Jacoby III: I think you’re right, Josh. I would agree with that statement. I think butter [00:18:00] is somewhat of an exception. Joe Maixner: I don’t know. Butter, it just depends on product mix, right? It’s CME eligible salted bulk. I think overall inventories are not burdensome. But we do have too much older CME-eligible salted bulk butter out there. Ted Jacoby III: That’s actually where I’m going, Joe. What do butter manufacturers do if they’re worried about having produced too many quarters and too many solids? They’ll just produce bulk. And so bulk is the overflow because they know the worst-case scenario, they can dump it onto the CME. And so that is where we end up with excess surplus, just like we get the same with a cheddar block in the cheese market. Josh White: How is international demand for U.S. butter at the moment, Joe, compared to where you would expect it to be and compared to where we were a few months ago? Joe Maixner: It’s steady right now. New inquiries are still coming in, but inquiries have lessened compared to a month or two ago; there’s a lot being made and shipping right now. International markets are starting to open their eyes to something other than [00:19:00] 82%. They’re starting to expand into the 80% because they are finally starting to realize that the numbers that they see on the futures don’t equate to the numbers they pay for an 82% product. And so anybody that’s really just using it for solids, for processing, is starting to convert, which is helping clean up some of that 80% salted butter, but it’s still not fast enough to really move the needle yet. Josh White: So, if the outlook for butterfat really doesn’t have any material upside in the near future, and we’re currently looking at Class III and IV prices, where they’re at, when do we start to impact the U.S. producer’s decision on making incremental milk beyond just the fat component? Are we close or are we still a long way away? Jacob Menge: Look at this Milk Production Report. We are up 268,000 head since June of 2024. That just keeps going up. There was an August revision of 71,000 head higher. The answer is a pretty [00:20:00] conclusive, not yet. I’m looking at the last time, September milk production beat the prior month, so beat August, which was 2001. And it just did that; September just beat August, and the last time it did that was 2001. Josh White: We’re not even talking about adjusted for components. Jacob Menge: That is correct. Joe Maixner: I can’t imagine that $16 to $17 Class III causes any worries right now for the farmers, with $4 corn and $1,200 feeder calves. Mike Brown: As long as you’re in a Class III market, if you’re heavy Class IV, your price isn’t $17. It depends on where you’re located, Joe. But for the most part, if you’re in a cheese market, it’s still decent. You’re right because the whey is also contributing a lot to that Class III price right now with a 70¢ whey market. Ted Jacoby III: Yeah. And the cows are all increasing in the states where there is increased processing capacity as well. Jacob Menge: These guys have had time to hedge this, and they still almost can hedge this, right? Going into later next year, where I think it’s gotta be at a point where they can’t hedge at a profit, and then you’ve [00:21:00] really got issues. Josh White: If we’re in a situation where the global economic outlook isn’t great, so that means we shouldn’t expect any major demand booms to pull dairy up We’re realizing supply growth in all major dairy surplus regions; the only correction for this is supply. And who’s the first to react? The obvious answer is it’s gonna be head-to-head with Europe and the U.S. Who breaks first? These are very, very different markets with different drivers, and they’re actually experiencing growth for different reasons related to the big picture, but different reasons. Europe just went through a situation where its butterfat carried the day. And butterfat was incredibly high, much higher than the U.S. price. They were an importer of fat from New Zealand, bringing in a noteworthy amount of product. And then now going into this year, they’ve seen a really significant drop, well below the support level that most traders would’ve held for butterfat. You assume [00:22:00] that they’re not gonna import a bunch of that product, forcing that product on the rest of the market. They’re going through a pretty negative situation right now as well. One thing you can’t forget about the European producer is that if you kill cows, it’s really tough to replace them, not for the same reasons we have in the U.S., that right now it’s just difficult to compete with beef. But they don’t wanna make those changes for a lot of regulatory reasons. So, they’re gonna hang on as long as possible. The U.S. model, we’re not in pain yet, generally speaking. Some smaller producers might look at higher beef prices and lower dairy outlook as an opportunity to exit. But there is way more structural expansion in motion or down the line that I think that train’s moving down the tracks. So, it’ll be really interesting to see if and who breaks first between the North American market and the European market. Ted Jacoby III: My hunch is it’s the U.S. market. I still think we’re a minimum of six months away, maybe even 12 to 18. Now there are signs, like you look at the Milk Production Report, the state of Washington is down [00:23:00] 8.5%. So, there are places where we are losing cows. Even though the majority of the country has gained cows recently, I would argue that with the drop in the butter price and the weakness in the nonfat market, California is the next one that I think will follow. They’ll struggle to get a decent milk price given that those are the two dominant price drivers for the California market. Diego Carvallo: But if you look at Idaho’s strongly up. So, it seems like a movement between Washington and Idaho. Ted Jacoby III: I think you could be right. Joe Maixner: California, their numbers this month were slightly higher than their peak production year 22. They’re on the uptrend. That’s a large ship that takes a while to turn around. Ted Jacoby III: I don’t disagree. I also think you’re still measuring against bird flu in California. You could argue that it may be a little artificially high. Joe Maixner: I actually questioned that because of the lower increase than I had anticipated for the September number, and bird flu didn’t actually start in California until October. So, we will see even larger increases next month forward in California. They [00:24:00] have that Class I plant that they opened as well out there. Mike Brown: They’re also getting hit with a big assessment, a lot of the producers out there, because the butter market changed, there’s been a lot of inventory loss, and that’s gonna hurt some producers as well. No one I talk to in California is worried about finding milk. They’re worried about finding a place to put it right now. Ted Jacoby III: I don’t think that’s isolated to being a California problem right now. Mike Brown: I would agree. You’re right. Ted Jacoby III: On that note, I think it’s a good time to wrap. Thanks, everybody, for joining us this week. Look forward to talking to you guys again soon. Thank you.
The primary focus of today's briefing is the current weather conditions across the United States, particularly the anticipated storm system that is expected to bring substantial precipitation to California and the Pacific Northwest. I report that there are no active tropical cyclones in either the Atlantic or Pacific basins, nor is any formation expected in the forthcoming week. Additionally, wildfire activity remains low nationally, with only a significant incident reported in Arizona, where the Stanford Fire continues to be monitored. Furthermore, I highlight the establishment of resource centers in Alaska to assist survivors of recent storms, underscoring the ongoing recovery efforts in affected areas. As we assess the current seismic activity, I note that no damaging earthquakes have been reported, reflecting a period of relative stability in that regard.Takeaways:* The National Hurricane Center reports no active tropical cyclones across the Atlantic or Pacific basins, indicating a period of calm in these regions. * Heavy precipitation is anticipated in California and the Pacific Northwest, necessitating awareness of potential winter weather impacts in elevated terrains. * Wildfire activity in the United States remains at a preparedness level of one, with only a single significant incident reported in Arizona. * Alaska's State Emergency Operations center is actively supporting survivors of the 2025 West Coast storm through a multi-agency resource center in Anchorage. * A quick-moving winter storm is currently affecting the Sierra Nevada region of California, prompting winter storm warnings for high elevation areas. * Montana is experiencing high wind warnings that are set to remain in effect throughout the day, particularly in the north-central region. Sources[NHC | https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/][WPC | https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/index.shtml][NIFC | https://www.nifc.gov/fire-information/nfn][USGS Latest | https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/map/?range=day][AK DHS&EM (MARC) | https://ready.alaska.gov/Documents/PIO/PressReleases/2025.11.13_Press%20Release%20-%20%20West%20Coast%20Storm%20Muilti%20Agency%20Resource%20Center%20Egan.pdf][AK DHS&EM (Bethel DAC) | https://ready.alaska.gov/Documents/PIO/PressReleases/2025.11.05_Press%20Release%20-%20%20Disaster%20Assistance%20Center%20Opens%20in%20Bethel%20Nov%205..pdf][NIFC National Fire News (Nov. 13 update) | https://www.nifc.gov/fire-information/nfn][NWS Sierra Warning example | https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=36.7877&lon=-118.6561][Cal OES (pre-deployment) | https://news.caloes.ca.gov/governor-newsom-pre-deploys-emergency-resources-to-southern-california-ahead-of-storms/][WPC outlook | https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/index.shtml][NWS Great Falls (example hazard page) | https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=47.55561&lon=-112.67737] This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit emnetwork.substack.com/subscribe
Honeybees have been dying off at a higher rate in recent years and many believe it's caused by things like climate change and the pesticides farmers use, but Washington Policy Center's Todd Myers, a beekeeper himself, says don't jump to conclusions.
Honeybees have been dying off at a higher rate in recent years and many believe it's caused by things like climate change and the pesticides farmers use, but Washington Policy Center's Todd Myers, a beekeeper himself, says don't jump to conclusions.
“What if what is isn't true?” We're back with another edition of the new series for The Smashing Pumpkast entitled, “Radio, Play My Favorite Song,” where I talk to YOU, the Pumpkinhead, about one of your favorite WPC & SP related tracks. Today, we have two separate Pumpkinheads, Matt Munro + Eve, talking about the Adore track “Appels + Oranjes”. Even though we chat about the same track, the conversations are quite different. If YOU'D like to be considered for this new series to talk about your favorite song (or if you're uncomfortable appearing on the ‘kast, have me read your thoughts), email us at thesmashingpumpkast@gmail.com ! RawkSupport the 'kast!MERCHOur PATREONbuymeacoffee.com/PumpkastPlease rate and review us!Follow us on the socials:Instagram: @smashingpumpkastBluesky: @smashingpumpkastTwitter: @PumpkinsPodcast
StoneX has announced a new partnership to add dairy prices reported by Expana to StoneX Plus and launch OTC swaps that will settle to some of those prices. With demand for WPC and fat filled milk powder (FFMP) the industry has been looking for ways to manage the price risk with these products.
Force policière : une WPC réintégrée après contestation de la résiliation de son contrat by TOPFM MAURITIUS
Butter is down. Powder is heavy. Cheese is struggling. But whey proteins? They're the shining star. In this episode of The Milk Check, host Ted Jacoby III sits down with Josh White, Gus Jacoby, Diego Carvallo, and Jacob Menge to break down what's really moving the dairy market this fall. We cover: Why WPC 80 and whey protein isolate remain in tight supply How weak butter, powder, and cheese are reshaping herd economics What today's demand means for dairy markets heading into 2026 They're the shining star now, but can whey proteins hold at $10/lb without burning out? Listen now to hear Jacoby's take on what's in the stars for dairy this year and beyond. Got questions? Got questions for The Milk Check team? We've got answers. Submit your questions below and we'd be happy to get back to you or answer your question on the podcast. Ask The Milk Check Ted Jacoby III: Welcome, everybody, to the September edition of the Jacoby Market discussion on our Milk Check podcast. Today, we've got Josh White, head of our dairy ingredients group. We've got my brother Gus to talk about what's going on with milk, cream, and UF milk. We have Diego Carvallo on our international business and nonfat business teams. And then we got Jacob Menge with risk management and trading strategy. So, Gus, let's go ahead and start with you. It's September. This is usually the time of year when everybody is shipping a lot of milk into the Southeast. How do things look in milk, and what's going on in cheese and UF right now? Gus Jacoby: Certainly, Ted, milk has gotten tight as it typically does this time of year. I wouldn't say, though, relatively speaking, for mid-September that we're all that tight. Obviously, milk production reports have been up recently; there's more milk than we had last year. Yes, we've added processing capacity in [00:01:00] certain regions of the country, like the western portion of the upper Midwest, and, of course, the Southwest. However, in many areas, early fall tightness does exist. But it's a bit longer than last year. Where we really need to look at, though, is the component area and some of the products, such as sweet cream. That's certainly very long. We know about butterfat being much higher today than it was just a couple of years ago. And I would say the cream markets, which typically in early fall draw some pretty high multiples, those multiples are tempered to a fair amount. Cream can be had at a time when it is typically tough to find. So, there's no doubt that what we're seeing out in the marketplace, and I would say from coast to coast, is more cream than what we're used to. And certainly, more of a buyer's market in the fall than it ever has been, at least in the history of the industry that I've seen. Now, on the flip side, the protein markets are a bit interesting. I wanna let Josh speak on the powder side, but we are seeing that UF milk is having a strong comeback. People need protein, whether it be for fortification [00:02:00] needs and natural cheese, whether it be for health and wellness shakes, whether it be for what have you. That product is getting a lot of attention. And certainly, the one area that I'm seeing this fall that's got some tightness to it. Ted Jacoby III: Josh, what are you seeing on the protein side in your neck of the woods? Is what Gus is seeing with UF milk translating all the way over into dried proteins? Josh White: The most interesting of the product categories right now and the one gaining the most attention is in the whey protein sector. We're feeling pressure across a lot of the storable dairy products right now, but the one that remains very tight are the WPCs, in particular WPC 80 and whey protein isolate. The storyline hasn't changed a whole lot from prior discussions. We went into the year, and there was some trade disruption that masked how tight the market was. We knew a lot of capacity was coming online thi...
In this episode, we dive into the realities of dealing with portfolio drawdowns as dividend growth investors. From personal examples to strategies for averaging down, price anchoring, and knowing when to hold or sell, we share how we manage the emotions that come with falling share prices.We also cover the latest news and dividend hikes, including:Novo Nordisk – promising results from its new oral weight-loss drugLondon Stock Exchange Group – stepping into blockchain with MicrosoftIntel & Nvidia – surprising partnerships in the chip industryTexas Instruments, Microsoft, W.P. Carey, and Philip Morris – dividend hike updatesPlus, we review Bradley's dividend portfolio and answer listener questions on hedging against USD, quick dividend stock screeners, reinvestment strategies, tax-efficient accounts, and more.
With Traci Zajdel and Dr. Aurélia BicklerHealthy romantic relationships require a sense of harmony between our expressions of autonomy and closeness. When we have experienced threats to security and trust in previous relationships, both in our early years and in adulthood, we often find that the anxiety that comes with fear of loss or abandonment disrupts that balance and can create conflict as we negotiate life with our partners. This podcast explores the process of active self-awareness of attachment styles to facilitate productive communication of needs and anxieties, thereby achieving compromises that nurture rather than stifle the relationships themselves.Resources:"Hold Me Tight: Seven Conversations for a Lifetime of Love" by Dr. Sue Johnson"Love Understood: The Science of Who, How, and Why We Love" by Laura Mucha
This is episode 438 of the Mobile Tech Podcast with guests Rahul Sandil (MediaTek) and Jason Howell (Android Faithful) -- brought to you by MediaTek. This episode comes in two parts. First, we explore MediaTek's AI strategy and how AI is changing the way we interact with our devices. Second (19:43), we review Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold7 and Z Flip7, then discuss the latest Galaxy, Pixel, and iPhone leaks and rumors. Finally, we cover WPC's Qi2 25W, Realme's 15 series, and other mobile tech news.Episode Links- Support the podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tnkgrl- Donate / buy me a coffee (PayPal): https://tnkgrl.com/tnkgrl/- MediaTek: http://www.poweredbymediatek.com/ (sponsor)- MediaTek's AI strategy: https://www.mediatek.com/technology/ai- Rahul Sandil: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rahulsandil/- Jason Howell: https://www.threads.net/@thatjasonhowell- Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold7 review: https://www.androidfaithful.com/episode/all-the-dirt-on-the-z-fold-7-android-faithful-episode-105/- Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip7 review: https://www.tomsguide.com/phones/samsung-phones/samsung-galaxy-z-flip-7-hands-on-review-feels-like-flip-phone-perfection- Samsung Galaxy S26 Pro rumors: https://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_s26s_replacement_seemingly_confirmed-news-68831.php- Google Pixel 10 series pricing leaks: https://www.gsmarena.com/google_pixel_10_familys_prices_in_the_us_and_canada_leak-news-68832.php- WPC Qi2 25W: https://9to5google.com/2025/07/23/qi2-25w-charging-speed-android-smartphones/- Apple iPhone 17 series colors leak: https://www.gsmarena.com/iphone_17_dummies_pose_with_their_updated_color_palettes-news-68824.php- Realme 15 series: https://www.gsmarena.com/realme_15_and15_pro_debut_with_more_powerful_chipsets_and_new_camearas-news-68754.phpAffiliate Links (If you use these links to buy something, we might earn a commission)- Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7: https://amzn.to/3IGlReM- Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7: https://amzn.to/3IoaGHD- Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge: https://amzn.to/43et2TD- Google Pixel 9a: https://amzn.to/3SV8fOR- Nothing Phone (3): https://amzn.to/45bPRYK
Whether in Olympia or other urban parts of our state, there seems to be a big misunderstanding or ignorance of what the H-2A guestworker visa program is and how it works.
Whether in Olympia or other urban parts of our state, there seems to be a big misunderstanding or ignorance of what the H-2A guestworker visa program is and how it works.
WPC member and recent high school graduate, Ben Sumrall, is today's preacher.
David Boze of Washington Policy Center responds to OSPI head Chris Reykdal's dismissal of alarming student performance data as partisan rhetoric. Boze points out the irony of Reykdal calling WPC biased while ignoring that the data in question came from Reykdal's own office. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-ospi-chief-chris-reykdal-confronted-by-state-data-blames-partisanship-for-bad-results/ #Opinion #ChrisReykdal #WashingtonPolicyCenter #OSPI #EducationPolicy #Partisanship #DavidBoze #StateData #AcademicPerformance #WashingtonState
Our guest preacher is WPC college student, Sophia Nowlen.
With Washington's Ag Industry facing so many economic and regulatory challenges, are there changes we could make to ease the pressure?
With Washington's Ag Industry facing so many economic and regulatory challenges, are there changes we could make to ease the pressure?
In this episode of the People-First Builders Podcast, I'm joined by Jeffery Forrest Jr., successor and co-owner of WPC, a family-run construction powerhouse based in Central Florida. Jeffrey shares his journey from pushing a broom on job sites at 15 to leading one of the Southeast's premier construction management firms. We dive into his unique career trajectory, including a fascinating stint as a professional poker player, and how those lessons in risk, adaptation, and incomplete information translate directly to the world of construction leadership. Jeffrey also opens up about the generational transition at WPC, the evolving people-first philosophy that guides their work, and how they're navigating the ongoing labor challenges in the trades. We explore: The power of starting early and learning from the ground up How poker taught Jeffrey about decision-making and resilience WPC's shift to empowering the next generation while honoring the past Why construction remains a deeply rewarding, purpose-driven career Practical insights on hiring, talent development, and fostering a growth mindset Join us as we share stories, insights, and lessons that bridge generations, champion the trades, and build a better future one project at a time.
As the number of farms and farmers across the state and the country shrinks, and locally produced food becomes harder and harder to find, action is needed to change direction.
As the number of farms and farmers across the state and the country shrinks, and locally produced food becomes harder and harder to find, action is needed to change direction.
In this episode of The People-First Builders Podcast, host Fletcher Wimbush sits down with Jeff Forrest Sr., President and CEO of WPC, a construction industry titan with over 45 years of hands-on leadership experience. From humble beginnings in 1979 to overseeing thousands of units across the Southeast, Jeff shares a candid look at the art of leadership transitions, generational shifts, and the evolving face of construction. Jeff opens up about his journey from apprentice to president, the challenges of following in the footsteps of his visionary brother, and the rewards of guiding his own son, Jeffrey Jr., into the family business. With warmth and humor, he recounts how his son's pivot from professional poker to construction infused the business with fresh perspectives, balancing analytics with hard-earned wisdom. We delve into the trials and triumphs of succession planning, navigating leadership tensions, and fostering an environment that champions both tradition and innovation. Jeff underscores the power of peer groups and lifelong learning, while highlighting the crucial role of culture and mentorship in cultivating the next generation of builders. From reflections on the talent shortage crisis to the future of work in the trades, Jeff's insights offer a masterclass in sustainable leadership and the power of people-first practices. This conversation is a must-listen for anyone looking to build not just great projects, but great teams. Key Takeaways: Navigating generational transitions in family businesses The essential role of mentorship and open communication The growing appeal and opportunities in the construction industry Lessons from leadership transitions and the importance of peer networks Tune in for an inspiring conversation that celebrates the human side of building—one that leaves you rethinking what it takes to succeed and sustain in a dynamic, people-driven industry.
As we reach the end of May and Mental Health Month, let's remember our friends and loved ones in the ag industry.
As we reach the end of May and Mental Health Month, let's remember our friends and loved ones in the ag industry.
CoROM cast. Wilderness, Austere, Remote and Resource-limited Medicine.
In this episode, Aebhric OKelly interviews Dr Ella Corrick and Dr Tom Mallinson to discuss their experiences at the SOMA Conference, focusing on the Wilderness Paramedic Workshop. They explore the common challenges faced in austere medicine, the significance of prolonged field care, and the preparation for the Wilderness Paramedic Certification exam. The conversation also delves into creating educational resources to enhance decision-making skills in wilderness medicine. In this conversation, Dr Tom and Dr Ella discuss their experiences and insights into wilderness medicine, focusing on exam preparation for the Wilderness Paramedic Certification (WP-C) and creating a revision guide tailored for practitioners in austere settings. They highlight the challenges of multiple-choice exams, the importance of distilling complex medical knowledge into practical applications, and the value of interactive learning experiences at conferences like SOMA. The discussion also emphasises the significance of networking, learning from peers, and embracing challenges in medical practice.TakeawaysSOMA Conference fosters a welcoming environment for civilian practitioners.Common challenges in austere medicine include distance to hospitals and limited resources.Wilderness Paramedic Certification covers a broad curriculum that includes environmental medicine.Exam preparation requires understanding both wilderness concepts and core medical principles.Prolonged field care is essential for managing critically ill patients in remote settings.Teaching decision-making in wilderness medicine is challenging but crucial.Educational resources aim to bridge knowledge gaps for WPC candidates.Collaboration between military and civilian practitioners enhances learning.Experience in austere settings improves exam performance and patient care.The integration of nursing and paramedic skills is beneficial in prolonged field care. The challenge was to distil down the knowledge needed for the exam.Multiple choice exams can be misleading in complex scenarios.The WPC revision guide focuses on core concepts for wilderness medicine.Each chapter of the guide could be a whole textbook.The workshop aims to address common blind spots in practice.Exam techniques are crucial for success in certification.Networking at conferences enhances learning opportunities.Embracing challenges leads to better patient care.Learning from others' mistakes accelerates professional growth.Take opportunities that excite you for long-term benefits.Chapters00:00 Introduction to SOMA Conference and Wilderness Paramedic Workshop02:52 Common Ground in Austere Medicine06:03 Overview of Wilderness Paramedic Certification09:12 Exam Insights and Preparation Strategies11:57 Prolonged Field Care and Patient Management14:48 Creating Educational Resources for WP-C18:10 Challenges in Teaching Decision-Making in Wilderness Medicine24:57 Distilling Knowledge for Exam Preparation25:36 Challenges of Multiple-Choice Exams
Explore the intersection of performance and sustainability in the cleaning industry, as Victoria Meyer delves into the insights and innovations shared at the 2025 American Cleaning Institute (ACI) annual meeting. Joined by industry experts Jim Griffin from SCT and Ned Weintraub from Noble AI, this episode emphasizes the cautious optimism prevailing in the industry, driven by a renewed focus on smarter supply chains and the practical application of sustainability. Discover how the industry is navigating the decade of supply chain challenges and shifting trends towards consumer value-driven sustainability with a "small s." Key takeaways from the convention emphasize a balance between innovation and market readiness, highlighted by advances in AI and the quest for multifunctional, sustainable ingredients. Victoria, Jim, and Ned discuss the delicate process of aligning corporate capabilities with consumer expectations while addressing regulatory hurdles and the industry's ongoing journey towards water conservation and innovative, eco-friendly practices. Dive into these transformative trends and prepare your business for the path ahead with insights from The Chemical Show's latest episode. Learn more about the following topics this week: The cautious optimism of 2025: chemical industry pulse at ACI The 5 trends shaping cleaning and chemical industries in 2025 Innovations driven by consumer archetypes and their needs like water protection, reduced waste, and performance The future of cleaning: water-free formulations with Jim Griffin of SCT AI's role in chemical innovation with Ned Weintraub of NobleAI Killer Quote: "The theme that came through is sustainability is great, but the products in use really need to perform. It's not enough that there's a green label, it's that it needs to perform and meet what customers want." --Victoria Meyer Other links: Register for The 40th World Petrochemical Conference by S&P Global this March 17 – 21 in Houston, Texas. The Chemical Show audience receives a special discount of 5%. Register today using code WPC2025ChemShow5%. Download: 10 Leadership Lessons for Chemical Executives Download: 7 Trends Shaping the Future of the Chemical Industry Subscribe to The Chemical Show on YouTube ***Don't miss an episode: Subscribe to The Chemical Show on your favorite podcast player. ***Like what you hear? Leave a rating and review. ***Want more insights? Sign up for our email list at https://www.thechemicalshow.com Thank you to our sponsors:The World Petrochemical Conference by S&P Global brings together people across the chemical industry - from executives to strategists and business analysts to petrochemical experts. WPC provides unmatched market intelligence and insights to unlock pathways for growth and transformation. Join us in Houston, TX, March 17-21, 2025, to commemorate our 40th Anniversary! >>>>VISIT THEIR WEBSITE TO REGISTER AND USE THE CODE WPC2025ChemShow5% for 5% discount off conference fees. --------------------------------------------------------------------------Transforming data into decisions with GenAI precision Access the breadth and depth of ICIS intelligence Fast, reliable answers to your market questionsInsights your way – from summaries to detailed reports Ask ICIS, your AI assistantVisit ICIS.com/ask--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Navigating the shifting landscape of the chemical industry and the global economic climate, Tony Potter and Kurt Barrow from S&P Global join host Victoria Meyer to offer a comprehensive market update for 2025. They delve into the global supply and demand dynamics of feedstocks like oil and NGLs and unpack the impact of geopolitical changes, including the return of Donald Trump to the US presidency. Touching on the Chinese market's massive capacity expansions and the European chemical industry's crossroads, this episode provides an insightful analysis of how market forces are reshaping the industry. Victoria, Tony, and Kurt explore critical topics such as decarbonization and sustainability, emphasizing the ongoing challenges and advancements in circularity, advanced recycling, and the integration of green technologies. They also discuss strategic responses to global market imbalances and the significance of staying prepared for future investments. Learn more about the following topics this week: Navigating the chemical industry's perfect storm: massive overcapacity in China, European plants at a breaking point, and North American resilience The tension between sustainability goals and market reality. Changes in leadership and trade policies are reshaping the industry and what smart companies are doing to prepare. Who's actually paying for sustainability initiatives? Looking at Europe's aging chemical infrastructure and how some 50-year-old plants may get a new lease on life due to carbon border adjustments Why industry veterans advise looking past current market conditions and political uncertainties to prepare for growth in the 2030s "Downturns are just good for pruning... it is the opportunity to make your organization a little bit leaner. We all need to shed costs, but becoming lean is also about becoming fit for future growth. The industry does need to invest to grow... it doesn't matter who the President of the United States is. You're going to build a refinery, an energy plant, or whatever to last 40 years, maybe 50 years. It's going to see a few presidents." - Tony Potter, S&P Global Other links: Download: 10 Leadership Lessons for Chemical Executives Download: 7 Trends Shaping the Future of the Chemical Industry Subscribe to The Chemical Show on YouTube Thank you to our sponsors:The World Petrochemical Conference by S&P Global brings together people across the chemical industry - from executives to strategists and business analysts to petrochemical experts. WPC provides unmatched market intelligence and insights to unlock pathways for growth and transformation. Join us in Houston, TX, March 17-21, 2025, to commemorate our 40th Anniversary! >>>>VISIT THEIR WEBSITE TO REGISTER AND USE THE CODE WPC2025ChemShow5% for 5% discount off conference fees. --------------------------------------------------------------------------Transforming data into decisions with GenAI precision Access the breadth and depth of ICIS intelligence Fast, reliable answers to your market questionsInsights your way – from summaries to detailed reports Ask ICIS, your AI assistantVisit ICIS.com/ask--------------------------------------------------------------------------
When a cyberattack hits, can your company quickly identify if it's mechanical mishap or malicious intervention? Join Victoria Meyer as she sits down with Robert Lee, CEO of renowned cybersecurity firm Dragos, to delve into the critical distinctions between IT (Information Technology) and OT (Operational Technology) cybersecurity. From safeguarding chemical facilities and power grids to the financial and national security risks tied to under-resourced OT security, Rob provides invaluable insights into the world of protective digital networks. Rob shares his journey from the U.S. Air Force to establishing Dragos, including the pivotal moments and ethical stands that led him away from offensive cyber operations. Emphasizing the importance of scenario-based planning and risk assessment, this episode explores how companies can better prepare for potential cyber threats and the rising expectations from regulatory bodies. Join us to learn more about these topics this week: Origin story of Rob Lee: US Airforce to National Security Agency to CEO of Dragos Cybersecurity: Information Technology (IT) versus Operation Technology (OT) Advising boardrooms about cyber security risks: Scenario-based approach in cybersecurity The role of executives and boards in cybersecurity Leadership as a young CEO "Most governments, most board of directors, most business leaders are surprised to find that 95%, not a made-up statistic, about 95 percent of all the budget to cybersecurity efforts is going to the IT side of the house, not the OT side of the house. But you generate all your revenue and have all your safety impact and your business impact and national security impact on the other side of the house." - Robert Lee, CEO of Dragos Other links: Ep 34 Taking on 2021: Navigating a Cyber Attack, Acquisitions and More with Brad Beauchamp Download: 10 Leadership Lessons for Chemical Executives Download: 7 Trends Shaping the Future of the Chemical Industry Subscribe to The Chemical Show on YouTube ***Don't miss an episode: Subscribe to The Chemical Show on your favorite podcast player. ***Like what you hear? Leave a rating and review. ***Want more insights? Sign up for our email list at https://www.thechemicalshow.com Thank you to our sponsors: Celebrating 40 years, the World Petrochemical Conference by S&P Global is the most prestigious global industry gathering for chemical innovation, insight, and collaboration. WPC has a rich history of providing unmatched market intelligence and convening top industry leaders and influential thinkers to discuss the solutions that will unlock pathways for growth and transformation. Join us in Houston, TX, March 17-21, 2025, to commemorate our 40th Anniversary! Visit their website to learn more.Transforming data into decisions with GenAI precision Access the breadth and depth of ICIS intelligence Fast, reliable answers to your market questionsInsights your way – from summaries to detailed reports Ask ICIS, your AI assistantVisit ICIS.com/ask
Navigating the complex regulatory landscape between China and the U.S., Peter Huntsman, CEO of Huntsman Corporation, sheds light on the critical challenges and opportunities within the global chemical industry. Host Victoria Meyer sits down with Peter to discuss the fast-paced approval processes in China compared to the stringent regulations in the U.S., the long-term perspective needed for investments in this industry, and the impact of public detachment from the industrial origins of chemical products. Peter also delves into the intricacies of operating in the European market, influenced by anti-manufacturing policies and geopolitical tensions, and discusses the necessary transformation strategies Huntsman Corporation has adopted over the past two decades. From the Huntsman family legacy to the pivotal role of smart carbon utilization, this episode uncovers the resilience and adaptability required to thrive in the ever-evolving chemical industry. Join us to learn more about these topics this week: Origin of Huntsman: From selling clam shell containers to supplying airplanes with materials The role of chemicals in the energy transition Regulatory challenges: chemical innovation approval delays Administration uncertainty, regulatory risk, and public perception of the chemical industry European regulation and impact Business Transformation: growing, selling, and changing businesses and aligning your organization Characteristics attributed to successful leadership Killer Quote: "Transformation isn't just a strategy; it's a necessity. The decisions we make today, in an ever-evolving regulatory landscape, will resonate for decades. It's not about chasing carbon neutrality—it's about being smart with carbon utilization and continually innovating for a smarter, more sustainable future." — Peter Huntsman, CEO of Huntsman Corporation Other links: Download: 10 Leadership Lessons for Chemical Executives Download: 7 Trends Shaping the Future of the Chemical Industry Subscribe to The Chemical Show on YouTube ***Don't miss an episode: Subscribe to The Chemical Show on your favorite podcast player. ***Like what you hear? Leave a rating and review.***Want more insights? Sign up for our email list at https://www.thechemicalshow.com Thank you to our sponsors: Celebrating 40 years, the World Petrochemical Conference by S&P Global is the most prestigious global industry gathering for chemical innovation, insight, and collaboration. WPC has a rich history of providing unmatched market intelligence and convening top industry leaders and influential thinkers to discuss the solutions that will unlock pathways for growth and transformation. Join us in Houston, TX, March 17-21, 2025, to commemorate our 40th Anniversary! Visit their website to learn more.Transforming data into decisions with GenAI precision Access the breadth and depth of ICIS intelligence Fast, reliable answers to your market questionsInsights your way – from summaries to detailed reports Ask ICIS, your AI assistantVisit ICIS.com/ask
Discover how AI is becoming as essential as the internet or mobile phones in the chemical industry with guests Alan Spanos and Chad Macey from ICIS. Alan explains the vision of being a supportive sidekick to customers while discussing the main barriers to AI adoption, emphasizing the importance of trust and effective communication. Meanwhile, Chad highlights the significant role of AI tools in improving decision-making and productivity, and addresses the ethical considerations and potential risks associated with AI technology. Victoria Meyer and her guests delve into personal anecdotes illustrating the rapid evolution of technology, comparing past skepticism about the internet to current acceptance. The conversation progresses to the innovative AI applications at ICIS, such as the ASK ICIS tool, designed to save users time by providing focused, reliable answers from vast data sets. Highlighting transparency, customer support, and continuous innovation, the episode underscores the transformative potential of AI in the chemical industry, all while ensuring ethical usage and customer trust. Learn more about the following topics this week: The role of technology in chemicals today AI adoption and barriers and the future of work Client engagement with AI and technology tools today Ask ICIS: how are clients are engaging and getting value from ICIS' gen AI tool Trust and transparency in AI: concerns about AI "hallucinations" and ensuring reliable outputs Killer Quote: "The future of AI in business is not about replacing human expertise but augmenting it. It's about transforming mountains of data into actionable insights, empowering decision-makers to steer their companies towards smarter, faster, and more innovative paths." -- Alan Spanos Other links: Download: 10 Leadership Lessons for Chemical Executives Download: 7 Trends Shaping the Future of the Chemical Industry Ask ICIS John Richardson Episode 179: How the Global Chemical Market is Shifting with John Richardson of ICIS John Richardson Episode 144: Petrochemicals in 2024: Capacity Overbuild and Codependent Markets with John Richardson of ICIS John Richardson Episode 102: China's Aging Demographics and the Future of the Chemical Industry with John Richardson John Richardson Episode 79: How The China Market Affects Chemical Prices With John Richardson John Richardson Episode 36: How China's Response To Chemicals Is Affecting the World With John Richardson of ICIS John Richardson Episode 22: Understanding Market Demand To Manage Your Business Amid Uncertainty With John Richardson Subscribe to The Chemical Show on YouTube ***Don't miss an episode: Subscribe to The Chemical Show on your favorite podcast player. ***Like what you hear? Leave a rating and review. ***Want more insights? Sign up for our email list at https://www.thechemicalshow.com Thank you to our sponsors: Celebrating 40 years, the World Petrochemical Conference by S&P Global is the most prestigious global industry gathering for chemical innovation, insight, and collaboration. WPC has a rich history of providing unmatched market intelligence and convening top industry leaders and influential thinkers to discuss the solutions that will unlock pathways for growth and transformation. Join us in Houston, TX, March 17-21, 2025, to commemorate our 40th Anniversary! Visit their website to learn more.Transforming data into decisions with GenAI precision Access the breadth and depth of ICIS intelligence Fast, reliable answers to your market questionsInsights your way – from summaries to detailed reports Ask ICIS, your AI assistantVisit ICIS.com/ask
Reflecting on the state of mergers and acquisitions in the chemicals and materials industries for 2024 and looking ahead to 2025, Kevin Yttre, President and Managing Director at Grace Matthews, joins host Victoria Meyer on The Chemical Show. Following recent supply chain disruptions and unpredictable business performance, Kevin shares his insights on the improved conditions that have led to increased deal activity and optimism for the future. Emphasizing the importance of steady-state performance for valuation, they discuss the evolving competitive landscape, including heightened interest from private equity and international firms. Victoria and Kevin discuss the increasing sophistication of M&A processes, underscoring the necessity for thorough due diligence and strategic preparation. They explore the ongoing interest from international companies, the influence of private equity in driving competition, and the external factors impacting market stability. Kevin also provides career advice on transitioning into investment banking, highlighting the pivotal role of an MBA and other pathways within the industry. This episode offers valuable insights into the current and future trends in the chemicals and materials sector's mergers and acquisitions landscape, setting the stage for what's to come in 2025. Join us to learn more about the following topics this week: Observations and assessments on chemicals and materials M&A activity in 2024 Valuation trends in 2024: The current methodologies and commonly used markers for chemical businesses Analyzing the current competitive landscape through private equity activity and the availability of capital Critical factors in M&A in 2025 Leadership and career pathways in M&A Killer Quote: "Predictability in company performance is key to easier valuation and transaction processes in M&A. Surprises are rarely welcome in this field—steady-state performance is what truly drives value." -- Kevin Yttre Other links: Download: 10 Leadership Lessons for Chemical Executives Download: 7 Trends Shaping the Future of the Chemical Industry Ep 106: Insights to M&A in Chemical and Materials Industry with Kevin Yttre Grace Matthews Newsletter: Momentum Building into 2025: Strategies for M&A Success (Winter 2024) Subscribe to The Chemical Show on YouTube ***Don't miss an episode: Subscribe to The Chemical Show on your favorite podcast player. ***Like what you hear? Leave a rating and review.***Want more insights? Sign up for our email list at https://www.thechemicalshow.com Thank you to our sponsors: Celebrating 40 years, the World Petrochemical Conference by S&P Global is the most prestigious global industry gathering for chemical innovation, insight, and collaboration. WPC has a rich history of providing unmatched market intelligence and convening top industry leaders and influential thinkers to discuss the solutions that will unlock pathways for growth and transformation. Join us in Houston, TX, March 17-21, 2025, to commemorate our 40th Anniversary! Visit their website to learn more.Transforming data into decisions with GenAI precision Access the breadth and depth of ICIS intelligence Fast, reliable answers to your market questionsInsights your way – from summaries to detailed reports Ask ICIS, your AI assistantVisit ICIS.com/ask
Discover how microscopic quantities of ingredients can make a monumental difference in everyday products. Victoria Meyer talks with Greg Adamson, Senior VP at Givaudan, about the world of fragrances and flavors. Greg brings insights from his journey as a toxicologist, touching on his experiences in both biotech and the household and consumer products industry. They dive into Givaudan's crucial role in creating tastes and scents that are ever-present in our daily lives, and the complex regulations that ensure their safety and efficacy. Greg and Victoria explore the intricate dance between innovation and regulation. From influencing global chemical policies to ensuring that industry practices align with stringent safety standards, Greg discusses how Givaudan navigates these challenges. They also address the critical distinction between hazard and risk, and the pursuit of standardized regulations to simplify global operations. For those in the chemical industry or simply curious about the science behind everyday smells and tastes, this episode sheds light on the innovative and regulatory landscape of flavors and fragrances. Join us to learn more about the following topics this week: Greg's career moves from Australian toxicologist to leading global regulatory Givaudan's presence in consumer products and the importance of HCPA Regulatory priorities and challenges: striving for national standardized regulations to increase innovation in chemicals The importance of educating regulators and stakeholders on hazards versus risks The importance of leading with passion Killer Quote: " What I find amazing and actually just a great reflection of our industry is that we are in a global industry, and people are interested in listening and learning from each other in this global marketplace." —Victoria Meyer Other links: Download: 10 Leadership Lessons for Chemical Executives Download: 7 Trends Shaping the Future of the Chemical Industry Subscribe to The Chemical Show on YouTube. ***Don't miss an episode: Subscribe to The Chemical Show on your favorite podcast player. ***Like what you hear? Leave a rating and review.***Want more insights? Sign up for our email list at https://www.thechemicalshow.com Thank you to our sponsors: Celebrating 40 years, the World Petrochemical Conference by S&P Global is the most prestigious global industry gathering for chemical innovation, insight, and collaboration. WPC has a rich history of providing unmatched market intelligence and convening top industry leaders and influential thinkers to discuss the solutions that will unlock pathways for growth and transformation. Join us in Houston, TX, March 17-21, 2025, to commemorate our 40th Anniversary! Visit their website to learn more.Transforming data into decisions with GenAI precision Access the breadth and depth of ICIS intelligence Fast, reliable answers to your market questionsInsights your way – from summaries to detailed reports Ask ICIS, your AI assistantVisit ICIS.com/ask
Wrap up the year with the best of The Chemical Show! Host Victoria Meyer reflects on 2024 by spotlighting the top five episodes, sharing fun facts about the global audience, and revealing the intriguing listening habits of chemical enthusiasts. From the impact of global markets and sustainability advancements to the significance of strategic timing and audience engagement, this episode offers a comprehensive review of the podcast's most compelling moments and influential guests. Uncover insights from industry leaders like John Richardson, Eric Appelman, and Garab Chakrabarti, while also exploring fascinating data about what makes The Chemical Show listeners unique. With highlights on market outlooks, timely news, and shared episodes, Victoria provides a captivating rewind of the year. Plus, get your hands on the top 10 leadership lessons and the seven trends guide for 2024 — your perfect year-end gifts! Join us to learn more about the following topics this week: Listener demographics including where and how they engage Top audio episode Top video episode Most shared episodes Most frequent guest Episode prompting the most phone calls What it takes to be a top 5 episode Killer Quote: " What I find amazing and actually just a great reflection of our industry is that we are in a global industry, and people are interested in listening and learning from each other in this global marketplace." —Victoria Meyer Other links: Download: 10 Leadership Lessons for Chemical Executives Download: 7 Trends Shaping the Future of the Chemical Industry Ep 144: Petrochemicals in 2024: Capacity Overbuild and Codependent Markets with John Richardson of ICIS Ep 145: 2024 Chemical Market Outlook with Steve Lewandowski of Chemical Market Analytics Ep 188: How To Scale Sustainable Technology with Eric Appelman of Aduro Clean Technologies Ep 179: How the Global Chemical Market is Shifting with John Richardson of ICIS Ep 169: Decarbonizing the Chemical Industry with Solugen CEO Gaurab Chakrabarti Ep 148. Exploring Sustainable Technologies and Green Chemicals with with Eric Bober of NexantECA Ep 170. Future of Green Methanol: Challenges and Opportunities with Eric Bober Subscribe to The Chemical Show on YouTube. Thank you to our sponsors: Celebrating 40 years, the World Petrochemical Conference by S&P Global is the most prestigious global industry gathering for chemical innovation, insight, and collaboration. WPC has a rich history of providing unmatched market intelligence and convening top industry leaders and influential thinkers to discuss the solutions that will unlock pathways for growth and transformation. Join us in Houston, TX, March 17-21, 2025, to commemorate our 40th Anniversary! Visit their website to learn more.Transforming data into decisions with GenAI precision Access the breadth and depth of ICIS intelligence Fast, reliable answers to your market questionsInsights your way – from summaries to detailed reports Ask ICIS, your AI assistantVisit ICIS.com/ask
Uncover the five key themes shaping the household and commercial products landscapes for 2025 as Victoria Meyer delves into insights from the HCPA annual meeting in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. For professionals in the chemical industry, staying informed about regulatory changes, state-level initiatives, and sustainability efforts is crucial. Victoria explores critical topics such as EPA regulations, state legislation alignment, extended producer responsibility, and the drive towards greener products. State-level regulation shifts are creating complex challenges, and the introduction of new administrations may have significant impacts on policies and business practices. Featuring clips from conversations with industry experts like Steve Caldeira, Steve Bennett, Mike Gruber, Nicholas Georges, and Molly Blessing, this episode provides a deep dive into the priorities and pressing issues within the HCPA. Join us to learn more about the following topics this week: HCPA's overarching themes: safety, efficacy, appropriate use, and transparency, in products and regulations Building a more effective EPA and keeping consumers safe through PRIA and TSCA Navigating state regulations and driving alignment Making sustainability more available and easier to engage with in the chemical industry Safe use of household and commercial products Effects of Trump's Administration on the chemical industry Killer Quote: "Without the federal regulatory system working, or the EPA working effectively, the states step up. And the challenge when the states step up is each of them apply different regulations. There's 50 regulations that potentially have to be monitored, understood, complied with." —Victoria Meyer Other links: Download: 10 Leadership Lessons for Chemical Executives Subscribe to The Chemical Show on YouTube. ***Don't miss an episode: Subscribe to The Chemical Show on your favorite podcast player. ***Like what you hear? Leave a rating and review. ***Want more insights? Sign up for our email list at https://www.thechemicalshow.com Thank you to our sponsors: Celebrating 40 years, the World Petrochemical Conference by S&P Global is the most prestigious global industry gathering for chemical innovation, insight, and collaboration. WPC has a rich history of providing unmatched market intelligence and convening top industry leaders and influential thinkers to discuss the solutions that will unlock pathways for growth and transformation. Join us in Houston, TX, March 17-21, 2025, to commemorate our 40th Anniversary! Visit their website to learn more.Transforming data into decisions with GenAI precision Access the breadth and depth of ICIS intelligence Fast, reliable answers to your market questionsInsights your way – from summaries to detailed reports Ask ICIS, your AI assistantVisit ICIS.com/ask
From transforming control room roles to managing "startup hangovers," Bonnie Tully's journey in the chemical industry is a masterclass in navigating complexity and fostering innovation. As COO of Evonik, Bonnie shares her insights with host Victoria Meyer on the evolution of industry roles, the critical importance of middle management, and future trends involving AI and project-centric environments. Want more leadership insights? Download: 10 Leadership Lessons for Chemical Executives Bonnie's recount of her experience in setting up a plant in Singapore, managing a diverse team, and implementing a multicultural work environment highlights the intricacies of global operations. Victoria and Bonnie explore the shift towards self-managing employees, the essential role of middle management in maintaining company cohesion, and strategies for attracting top talent in an increasingly competitive landscape. Join us to learn more about the following topics this week: Bonnie Tully's career origin, evolution, and the 3 biggest changes she's seen in the chemical industry in the span of her career Transformation of chemical industry roles Trends in the chemical industry and looking to the future: what's next? Setting up culture from scratch and the "startup hangover" Tackling the talent attraction perspective, creating a unified culture, and social media's role Killer Quote: "Creating a company culture isn't just a top-down directive; it's a journey you take with your team. It's about respect, collaboration, and openness, fostering an environment where everyone feels valued and empowered to contribute. That's how we move from 'us versus them' to 'we're in this together.'" - Bonnie Tulley Listen: Ep 165 Achieving Success in Chemicals: Sustainability and Leadership with Bonnie Tully of Evonik ***Don't miss an episode: Subscribe to The Chemical Show on your favorite podcast player. ***Like what you hear? Leave a rating and review. ***Want more insights? Sign up for our email list at https://www.thechemicalshow.com Celebrating 40 years, the World Petrochemical Conference by S&P Global is the most prestigious global industry gathering for chemical innovation, insight, and collaboration. WPC has a rich history of providing unmatched market intelligence and convening top industry leaders and influential thinkers to discuss the solutions that will unlock pathways for growth and transformation. Join us in Houston, TX, March 17-21, 2025, to commemorate our 40th Anniversary! Visit their website to learn more.
5pm: John Spent the Night in the Lactation Room // Why Turkeys Get Cheaper Around Thanksgiving // Seattle Public Schools might withdrawal closure plans // WPC’s Paul Guppy on the Seattle School’s budget problem // NFL says it has 'no issue' with 'Trump dance' celebrations // A.I. Or Trying to Write Satire in 1983 East Germany? // Former Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Steve Largent tells John about the highlight of his career // Steve Largent vs. Mike Harden // Letters