— The year 2009 can’t end fast enough, milk producers said Tuesday at the annual Dairy Business Association conference in Madison. And while prices appear to be headed up for 2010 — meaning dairy farmers should be able to make money next year — many fear that the high cost of corn, fuel and other so-called “inputs” may put a crimp in their profits. “This has been a very rough year that no one wants to repeat,” said M&I Bank’s Sam Miller, who moderated a panel dubbed “What Will We Do to Thrive After 2009?” with three Wisconsin dairymen. Miller, the bank’s senior vice president for agribusiness, said milk producers lost an average of $720 per cow this year. For a thousand-animal dairy, that would be a whopping $720,000 loss. Miller said he believes 2010 should be profitable for most of the state’s 13,000 milk producers, and he forecast that they will make around $300 per cow next year. But he warned that volatility in the price of milk — as well as the price of inputs — will remain, so dairying will continue to be a risky business. See a new WisBusiness story for more: http://www.wisbusiness.com/index.iml?Article=178417 — In a new BizOpinion column, Tom Still says small business owners in Wisconsin are nervous about the outcome of the debate over health-care reform. Representatives of small business have become persuaded that, no matter what version of the health-care bill is adopted by Congress, they will pay more to provide health care to employees. Those same small business owners believe neither the House nor the Senate bill address spiraling costs, the core problem from an employer perspective. Read Still’s column for more: http://blogs.wisbusiness.com/bizopinion/2009/12/controlling-costs-must-be-part-of.html — A coalition of environmental, public interest and consumer groups is working to defend Wisconsin’s restrictions on new nuclear reactors. At a holiday-themed news conference, members of the coalition asked state lawmakers to defeat a bill that would repeal the restrictions. The group asked legislators to instead support a state energy policy that would replace coal and nuclear power with renewable energy sources by 2050. See more: http://wispolitics.com/index.iml?Article=178334 — The cable industry is taking issue with a state audit that found prices rose between 2007 and 2009 despite legislation designed to increase competition. Legislative auditors found prices for basic and expanded basic rose by double-digit percentages over the time period studied. The Wisconsin Cable Communications Association said the report didn’t properly take into account how phone, cable and Internet services are now bundled at a cheaper rate. The group cited a report that found bundled services, adjusted for inflation, are 31 percent cheaper today than they were when sold separately a dozen years ago. But western Wisconsin Dem state Sen. Kathleen Vinehout, one of the sponsors of legislation to repeal some of the cable competition bills’ provisions, complained those who pushed the legislation two years ago promised $148 million in savings promised for Wisconsin families that has not materialized. “Deregulation didn’t work for Wall Street and it hasn’t worked for cable services,” said Vinehout, D-Alma. “Cable companies should compete against one another, but they also should play by the rules. They need to respond to customer complaints and deliver promised services. They should live up to their commitment to our communities and public access stations.” See more soon at http://www.wisbusiness.com TOP STORIES Anchor’s stock, loan deal worth up to $400M: Badger Anchor Holdings — a new company formed by investment banker and Madison native Steven Hovde — will invest up to $400 million in Anchor in the form of 483.3 million shares of common stock, to be purchased at 60 cents a share, making it the majority shareholder. Wausau company lands Navy deals: A Wausau-area manufacturer is beginning work on $1.5 million in contracts for equipment to help U.S. Navy pilots successfully take off and land their planes on aircraft carriers. Bay Shipbuilding to lay off more employees: Bay Shipbuilding notified the state that it will add 10 workers to the 405 it said in August would be laid off. The Department of Workforce Development said Monday that the company said the additional layoffs would begin about Jan. 22.
************************************************************ See commentary from around the state and columns from WisBusiness contributors Jennifer Sereno, Kevin McKinley, Tom Burzinski, Gregg Hoffmann, Tom Still and Steve Jagler: ************************************************************ TECHNOLOGY (back to top)
ECONOMY (back to top)
MANUFACTURING (back to top) – Grant funds available for manufacturers – Johnson Controls division to stay
LABOR (back to top)
INVESTING (back to top)
REAL ESTATE (back to top) – Madison: Construction firm files lien against hotel developer – Milwaukee: Area foreclosure filings drop 9.4% – Milwaukee: Council delays loan guarantee
AGRIBUSINESS (back to top)
RETAIL (back to top)
TOURISM (back to top)
UTILITIES (back to top)
MANAGEMENT (back to top) PRESS RELEASES (back to top) For these and more releases visit http://www.wisbusiness.com/index.iml?Content=82 |
Quick links
WisBusiness sponsors Media partners National business round-ups |
(c)2009 WisBusiness.com.
All rights reserved. Reproduction or retransmission of this
publication, in whole or in part, without the express permission of
WisBusiness.com is prohibited. Unauthorized reproduction violates
United States copyright law (17 USC 101 et seq.), as does
retransmission by facsimile or any other electronic means, including
electronic mail.
