Milk prices provide some relief

I've been actively looking for some good economic news, so I could write about something pleasant for a change, and I found something intriguing, in case any of you missed it. It's a four-day old article at the CNNMoney.com web site, but it's news that pertains to the rest of the year. While prices for about everything seem to be going up, at least one commodity is predicted to stay even and possibly drop: milk.

Why? According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, milk prices shot up 12% last year, but this year, it'll hold or drop because there's been a 1.1% increase in the cow population. What's more, there's been a 1.7% growth in the average output per cow.

Now, I realize that this isn't much help when gas prices are what they are ($111 a barrel according to the most recent news), but it will help families with young children who do need to drink milk, and for impoverished families, that's indisputable good news.