The latest trade reports reveal another month of poor markets with U.S. dairy product exports slipping 5% from the modest growth seen in April. Despite concerns for the relatively flat U.S. dairy export performance in 2024, cheese continues to impress. Here’s Progressive Dairy’s 30,000-foot view at dairy-related export categories.

As winter retreated this year, my 5-year-old son made a peculiar observation as we drove through the countryside on our way into town. He said, “Look at all the crops growing in the fields. I don’t remember seeing a planting tractor though.”

The USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) released its Agricultural Prices report June 28, which includes feed costs used to calculate May Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) program margins and indemnity payments. May’s income over feed cost was $10.52 per hundredweight (cwt), the largest margin since November 2022.

Margins appear encouraging with the recent swell in Class III prices and improved feed costs. Cheese exports to Mexico have also been critical for U.S. dairy producers as shipments to China and Southeast Asia have slowed. Yet, with extreme weather conditions and the continued spread of avian influenza, having a strategy to manage risk is essential.

Better whey and butterfat product exports, along with the ever-growing cheese category, helped settle U.S. dairy product exports at a 3% rise in April, marking the second month of the year to record growth. Here’s Progressive Dairy’s 30,000-foot view at dairy-related export categories.

News rippled through the greenhouse gas (GHG) space as announcements were recently made regarding both dairy methane emissions in California as well as the voluntary carbon market across the nation.

The USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) released its Agricultural Prices report May 31, which includes feed costs used to calculate April Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) program margins and indemnity payments. A $9.60 per hundredweight (cwt) margin was the result of a rally in milk during the second half of the month to offset the steady feed markets.