Milk, Cows, Cheese and Butter Continue to Grow. Is it Being Matched by Domestic Consumption and Exports?
The prior post covered the production growth of milk, cows, cheese and butter. Cheese production is growing by 4.5% annually and butter production is growing by 5.9% annually. Is domestic consumption growing at this rate? The U.S. population is growing by 0.5% annually. Can exports financially manage the increasing production that is above domestic […]
Production of Dairy Products is Continuing to Grow
Starting in 2025, the dairy industry developed a strong and steady growth. This post will update the growth of the major elements with the latest published data. Everything is up! Data is presented in these charts based on 12-month moving averages to eliminate seasonal patterns. The growth shows no slowdown. Chart I tracks the growth […]
The Protein Formula
The prior post covered volatility in dairy component prices. The protein price clearly has the most volatility. This post will dig a little deeper in the complex formula of pricing protein. The formula is shown below. The formulas used for valuing protein were initially developed in the early 1900s by Dr. Van Slyke. Some items […]
The Protein Formula
The prior post covered volatility in dairy component prices. The protein price clearly has the most volatility. This post will dig a little deeper in the complex formula of pricing protein. The formula is shown below. The formulas used for valuing protein were initially developed in the early 1900s by Dr. Van Slyke. Some items […]
The Protein Formula
The prior post covered volatility in dairy component prices. The protein price clearly has the most volatility. This post will dig a little deeper in the complex formula of pricing protein. The formula is shown below. The formulas used for valuing protein were initially developed in the early 1900s by Dr. Van Slyke. Some items […]
Will the Lower Prices for Components Also Reduce Volatility
The post on September 25, 2026, finished with a comment that the increased volumes of cheese and butterfat being produced allows a more consistent and adequate domestic supply of components. The excess is being exported. That should reduce volatility in domestic component prices. This post will dig into the current increases and exports to see […]
Lower Retail Prices typically Bring an Increase in Sales. How are Dairy Products Doing?
Production costs are lower with new processing facilities and the new facilities are tied closely to the farms for milk. With lower costs, retail prices should fall and sales should increase. Is this happening? This post will cover the retail pricing of cheese, butter, and fluid milk. In 2022 inflation accelerated to extreme highs. The […]
U.S. Growth of Milk Production Where is it Coming From?
Data in this post is based on 12-month moving averages to eliminate monthly fluctuations. The data covers the period from 2022 to August 2026. Table I lists the five largest dairy producing states. Overall, the U.S. is increasing milk production by 3% consistently in 2026 (Chart I and II). The five largest milk producing states […]
The Downside and Upside of Increasing Exports
The prior posts covered how the U.S. is becoming a dairy exporter. The biggest change is in exports of cheese and butter. The impact on farmer protein and butterfat prices is significant. To become a dairy exporter, prices must be competitive with other international dairy exporters. To build these exports, lower prices than the competition […]
The U.S. is becoming a Major Dairy Exporter
The U.S. is quickly becoming a major dairy exporter. Cheese exports lead the exporting increases. Cheese uses nearly two thirds of U.S. milk, and other dairy categories are also increasing exports. Table I below shows the current levels of production, exports and imports. Clearly. cheese is the leader. The growth and trends of these […]
