US: dairy sector
This page contains data regarding key components of the United States dairy industry over a given time period.
The purpose of this report is two-fold:
- on the one hand, it highlights the complexity of the industry, which should be considered from several viewpoints:
the commodities area, the variety of dairy derivatives, imports, exports and domestic consumption; - on the other hand, it exemplifies the framework of a market that equates large domestic consumption figures (supported by import volumes) to large production figures.
Latest climate weekly reports about precipitations and temperatures.
Total Precipitation: level of rainfall;
Temperature anomalies: variation compared to historical mean temperature;
Min Temperature: minimum temperature;
Max Temperature: maximum temperature;
US: DAIRY SECTOR | ||||||||||
x 1.000 ton | ||||||||||
RAW MATERIAL AREA | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2024 | 2025 | % | Period | ||
Farms ('000) | 1.960 | 1.901 | 1.897 | 1.882 | ||||||
Number of cows ('000 head) | 9.386 | 9.405 | 9.344 | 9.360 | 9.338 | 9.396 | +0,6% | Jan-May 2025 | ||
Cow's milk production | 102.646 | 102.702 | 102.654 | 102.453 | 43.386 | 43.585 | +0,5% | Jan-May 2025 | ||
± % Over the same period of the previous year | +0,1% | 0,0% | -0,2% | |||||||
Farm-gate milk price € x 100 Kg ** | 34,59 | 53,13 | 41,49 | 45,94 | 42,09 | 45,82 | +8,9% | Jan-May 2025 | ||
± % Over the same period of the previous year | +53,6% | -21,9% | +10,7% | |||||||
Corn price (North West Iowa, IA) (€\Ton) | 194,4 | 267,0 | 214,1 | 155,1 | 159,6 | 157,2 (p) | -1,5% | Jan-Jul 2025 | ||
Soybeans price (Western Illinois, IL) (€\Ton) | 450,1 | 571,4 | 506,8 | 391,2 | 421,6 | 356,9 (p) | -15,4% | Jan-Jul 2025 | ||
DAIRY PRODUCTION | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2024 | 2025 | % | Period | ||
Liquid milk | 20.192 | 19.708 | 19.424 | |||||||
Butter | 936 | 934 | 958 | 1.014 | 471 | 488 | +3,7% | Jan-May 2025 | ||
Cream Sour | 677 | 678 | 689 | 702 | 286 | 281 | -1,8% | Jan-May 2025 | ||
Cheese | 6.242 | 6.389 | 6.421 | 6.463 | 2.716 | 2.748 | +1,2% | Jan-May 2025 | ||
Italian Mozzarella | 2.040 | 2.110 | 2.089 | 2.172 | 906 | 916 | +1,2% | Jan-May 2025 | ||
Cheddar | 1.801 | 1.798 | 1.856 | 1.717 | 728 | 763 | +4,8% | Jan-May 2025 | ||
Americal Colby & Jack & Monterey | 746 | 775 | 795 | 812 | 334 | 340 | +1,7% | Jan-May 2025 | ||
Cream & Neufchatel | 465 | 507 | 495 | 525 | 217 | 211 | -3,1% | Jan-May 2025 | ||
Italian Parmesan & Similar | 220 | 220 | 222 | 203 | 93 | 100 | +6,7% | Jan-May 2025 | ||
Italian Provolone & Similar | 172 | 168 | 171 | 176 | 73 | 71 | -2,5% | Jan-May 2025 | ||
Hispanic | 160 | 175 | 192 | 197 | 82 | 83 | +1,4% | Jan-May 2025 | ||
Swiss | 150 | 159 | 152 | 163 | 77 | 61 | -21,2% | Jan-May 2025 | ||
Italian Ricotta & Similar | 114 | 112 | 112 | 110 | 45 | 44 | -4,1% | Jan-May 2025 | ||
Muenster | 87 | 87 | 92 | 95 | ||||||
Feta | 77 | 64 | 66 | 70 | 30 | 28 | -6,3% | Jan-May 2025 | ||
Blue e Gorgonzola | 40 | 42 | 38 | 39 | 17 | 16 | -3,6% | Jan-May 2025 | ||
Italian Romano & Similar | 31 | 26 | 23 | 27 | 11 | 11 | +2,0% | Jan-May 2025 | ||
Gouda | 26 | 28 | 28 | 36 | 14 | 16 | +12,3% | Jan-May 2025 | ||
Brick | 0,9 | 0,7 | 0,7 | 0,8 | ||||||
Altri formaggi | 114 | 117 | 114 | 119 | 48 | 49 | +1,2% | Jan- 2025 | ||
Cottage Cream | 154 | 156 | 171 | 191 | 78 | 85 | +8,8% | Jan-May 2025 | ||
Cottage Curd | 163 | 164 | 181 | 205 | 82 | 93 | +14,1% | Jan-May 2025 | ||
Cottage Lowfat | 138 | 133 | 152 | 174 | 71 | 76 | +7,2% | Jan-May 2025 | ||
WMP (whole milk powder) | 67 | 62 | 50 | 51 | 21 | 27 | +28,1% | Jan-May 2025 | ||
NDM (skimmed milk powder) | 929 | 887 | 847 | 757 | 369 | 359 | -2,7% | Jan-May 2025 | ||
SMP (skimmed milk powder) | 317 | 298 | 313 | 272 | 109 | 83 | -24,3% | Jan-May 2025 | ||
Whey powder | 405 | 415 | 425 | 387 | 172 | 157 | -9,0% | Jan-May 2025 | ||
Condensed milk (Whole and Skimmed Canned Milk) | 249 | 253 | ||||||||
Lactose | 509 | 504 | 501 | 503 | 209 | 212 | +1,3% | Jan-May 2025 | ||
WPC (Whey Protein Concentrate) | 210 | 205 | 229 | 225 | 96 | 91 | -5,0% | Jan-May 2025 | ||
WPI 90 (Whey Protein Isolated) | 59 | 59 | 64 | 87 | 35 | 39 | +11,1% | Jan-May 2025 | ||
Yogurt | 2.152 | 2.026 | 2.082 | 2.213 | 928 | 992 | +6,9% | Jan-May 2025 | ||
Frozen Yogurt (Mio Litri) | 153 | 144 | 160 | 143 | 61 | 67 | +10,8% | Jan-May 2025 | ||
Ice cream, regular, hard (Mio Litri) | 2.726 | 2.830 | 2.657 | 2.789 | 1.167 | 1.143 | -2,0% | Jan-May 2025 | ||
Ice cream lowfat, total (Mio Litri) | 1.808 | 1.687 | 1.707 | 1.559 | 679 | 651 | -4,0% | Jan-May 2025 | ||
Ice cream, lowfat, hard (Mio Litri) | 865 | 823 | 860 | 788 | 342 | 339 | -1,1% | Jan-May 2025 | ||
Ice cream, lowfat, soft (Mio Litri) | 943 | 863 | 846 | 771 | 337 | 313 | -7,0% | Jan-May 2025 | ||
Ice cream, nonfat, hard (Mio Litri) | 25 | 32 | 30 | 23 | 9,7 | 9,0 | -7,1% | Jan-May 2025 | ||
EXPORT | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2024 | 2025 | % | Period | ||
Bulk and pack. milk (HS 040110+040120) |
|
120 | 122 | 103 | 114 | 45 | 46 | +4,1% | Jan-May 2025 | |
Cream (HS 040130+040140+040150) |
|
26 | 28 | 37 | 40 | 15 | 16 | +8,0% | Jan-May 2025 | |
Condensed milk (HS 040291+040299) |
|
16 | 20 | 22 | 18 | 8,1 | 11 | +31,1% | Jan-May 2025 | |
Butter (HS 0405) |
|
57 | 69 | 36 | 47 | 15 | 40 | +173,0% | Jan-May 2025 | |
of which: | ||||||||||
Anhydrous Milk Fat (HS 040590) |
|
13 | 16 | 6,1 | 14 | 2,9 | 15 | +428,6% | Jan-May 2025 | |
Cheese (HS 0406) |
|
404 | 454 | 435 | 514 | 227 | 244 | +7,3% | Jan-May 2025 | |
SMP (skimmed milk powder - HS 040210) |
|
880 | 837 | 809 | 744 | 316 | 273 | -13,5% | Jan-May 2025 | |
WMP (whole milk powder - HS 040221+040229) |
|
39 | 39 | 26 | 25 | 10 | 13 | +30,2% | Jan-May 2025 | |
Whey powder (HS 0404) |
|
592 | 663 | 534 | 560 | 239 | 224 | -6,3% | Jan-May 2025 | |
of which: | ||||||||||
Sweet dairy Whey (12% protein) e WPC (HS 040410) |
|
551 | 615 | 490 | 515 | 219 | 202 | -7,5% | Jan-May 2025 | |
Casein (HS 350110) |
|
1,8 | 2,1 | 1,1 | 6,1 | 2,2 | 2,8 | +25,3% | Jan-May 2025 | |
Caseinates (HS 350190) |
|
2,1 | 2,5 | 2,6 | 3,3 | 1,3 | 2,9 | +128,3% | Jan-May 2025 | |
Lactose pharmaceutical (HS 170211) |
|
322 | 413 | 434 | 409 | 168 | 160 | -4,8% | Jan-May 2025 | |
Lactose edible (HS 170299) |
|
69 | 40 | 37 | 24 | 8,5 | 9,9 | +16,2% | Jan-May 2025 | |
Infant milk formula (HS 190110) |
|
28 | 29 | 28 | 25 | 11 | 11 | +3,0% | Jan-May 2025 | |
Yogurt e latticello (HS 0403) |
|
41 | 41 | 48 | 61 | 24 | 28 | +13,4% | Jan-May 2025 | |
Fat-Filled Milk Powder (FFMP) (HS 190190) |
|
162 | 175 | 168 | 162 | 66 | 73 | +10,5% | Jan-May 2025 | |
Whey Protein Isolate (WPI) (HS 350220) |
|
65 | 65 | 76 | 89 | 36 | 39 | +8,5% | Jan-May 2025 | |
IMPORT | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2024 | 2025 | % | Period | ||
Bulk and pack. milk (HS 040110+040120) |
|
35 | 26 | 24 | 24 | 10 | 11 | +8,3% | Jan-May 2025 | |
Cream (HS 040130+040140+040150) |
|
19 | 32 | 58 | 54 | 17 | 21 | +22,6% | Jan-May 2025 | |
Condensed milk (HS 040291+040299) |
|
23 | 37 | 37 | 48 | 20 | 21 | +3,3% | Jan-May 2025 | |
Butter (HS 0405) |
|
63 | 73 | 81 | 109 | 44 | 38 | -12,7% | Jan-May 2025 | |
of which: | ||||||||||
Anhydrous Milk Fat (HS 040590) |
|
14 | 21 | 19 | 21 | 12 | 9,3 | -24,9% | Jan-May 2025 | |
Cheese (HS 0406) |
|
188 | 189 | 193 | 215 | 83 | 83 | +0,7% | Jan-May 2025 | |
SMP (skimmed milk powder - HS 040210) |
|
0,4 | 0,6 | 0,8 | 0,6 | 0,2 | 1,1 | +533,3% | Jan-May 2025 | |
WMP (whole milk powder - HS 040221+040229) |
|
12 | 16 | 14 | 18 | 7,2 | 12 | +67,5% | Jan-May 2025 | |
Whey powder (HS 0404) |
|
84 | 79 | 81 | 97 | 40 | 41 | +1,1% | Jan-May 2025 | |
of which: | ||||||||||
Sweet dairy Whey (12% protein) e WPC (HS 040410) |
|
44 | 44 | 44 | 46 | 19 | 20 | +3,3% | Jan-May 2025 | |
Casein (HS 350110) |
|
53 | 81 | 51 | 38 | 20 | 16 | -17,8% | Jan-May 2025 | |
Caseinates (HS 350190) |
|
22 | 24 | 31 | 23 | 8,7 | 8,7 | -0,6% | Jan-May 2025 | |
Lactose pharmaceutical (HS 170211) |
|
2,9 | 3,2 | 3,3 | 3,0 | 1,1 | 1,3 | +15,0% | Jan-May 2025 | |
Lactose edible (HS 170299) |
|
0,4 | 0,5 | 0,8 | 0,4 | 0,1 | 0,1 | -44,6% | Jan-May 2025 | |
Infant milk formula (HS 190110) |
|
17 | 42 | 40 | 61 | 27 | 30 | +14,3% | Jan-May 2025 | |
Yogurt e latticello (HS 0403) |
|
27 | 35 | 41 | 49 | 20 | 26 | +29,4% | Jan-May 2025 | |
Fat-Filled Milk Powder (FFMP) (HS 190190) |
|
230 | 255 | 252 | 269 | 108 | 105 | -2,4% | Jan-May 2025 | |
Whey Protein Isolate (WPI) (HS 350220) |
|
14 | 11 | 9,9 | 16 | 6,9 | 8,2 | +18,5% | Jan-May 2025 | |
STOCK (al 31 December) | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2024 | 2025 | % | Period | ||
Butter | 90 | 98 | 91 | 97 | 172 | 164 | -4,8% | May 2025 | ||
Cheese (no fresh cheese) | 654 | 656 | 654 | 614 | 651 | 641 | -1,5% | May 2025 | ||
SMP Human Use | 115 | 116 | 88 | 92 | 114 | 113 | -0,9% | May 2025 | ||
SMP Animal Use | 2,7 | 3,7 | 2,8 | 3,1 | 4,0 | 1,3 | -67,7% | May 2025 | ||
WMP (Whole Milk Powder) | 11 | 6,9 | 5,9 | 5,6 | 5,6 | 10 | +86,9% | May 2025 | ||
Condensed milk (Whole and Skimmed Canned Milk) | 21 | 18 | 18 | 19 | ||||||
Whey Powder Human Use | 25 | 31 | 30 | 26 | 27 | 28 | +1,1% | May 2025 | ||
Whey Powder Animal Use | 0,3 | 0,6 | 1,8 | 1,5 | 1,9 | 1,3 | -33,3% | May 2025 | ||
WPC | 31 | 37 | 28 | 26 | 26 | 28 | +9,1% | May 2025 | ||
I° Classification | ||||||||||
- WPC Human Use | 30 | 37 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 27 | +11,0% | May 2025 | ||
- WPC Animal Use | 0,7 | 0,4 | 0,8 | 0,7 | 1,2 | 0,8 | -30,6% | May 2025 | ||
2° Classification | ||||||||||
- WPC 25-49.9% s.s. | 11 | 13 | 11 | 9,9 | 9,6 | 12 | +27,9% | May 2025 | ||
- WPC 50-89.9% s.s. | 21 | 24 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 16 | -1,9% | May 2025 | ||
Lactose | 76 | 78 | 49 | 48 | 54 | 47 | -11,9% | May 2025 | ||
DOMESTIC CONSUMPTION (Source: FAS-USDA) | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2024 | 2025(f) | % | Period | ||
Cheese | 5.964 | 6.079 | 6.153 | 6.178 | 6.178 | 6.256 | +1,3% | Jan-Dec 2025 | Butter | 981 | 938 | 1.011 | 1.067 | 1.067 | 1.162 | +8,9% | Jan-Dec 2025 | SMP | 374 | 354 | 386 | 235 | 235 | 289 | +23,0% | Jan-Dec 2025 | WMP | 33 | 40 | 36 | 48 | 48 | 46 | -4,2% | Jan-Dec 2025 |
PER CAPITA CONSUMPTIONS (kg) | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2024 | 2025(f) | % | Period | ||
Cheese | 17,53 | 17,80 | 17,91 | |||||||
Butter | 2,88 | 2,75 | 2,94 | |||||||
SMP | 1,10 | 1,04 | 1,12 | |||||||
WMP | 0,10 | 0,12 | 0,10 | |||||||
% Self-sufficiency | 100,1% | 100,1% | 100,1% | 100,1% | ||||||
SOCIO-ECONOMIC INDICATORS | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2024 | 2025(f) | % | Period | ||
GDP (gross domestic product) | 6,06% | 2,51% | 2,89% | 2,80% | 2,80% | 1,50% | Jan-Dic 2025 | |||
CPI (consumer price index) | 4,70% | 8,00% | 4,12% | 3,00% | 3,00% | 3,00% | Jan-Dic 2025 | |||
Population ('000) | 340.161 | 341.534 | 343.477 | |||||||
GDP per capita (U.S. dollars) | 70.160 (e) | 76.349 (e) | 80.035 (e) | |||||||
GDP per capita (€) * | 59.320(e) | 72.502(e) | 74.018(e) | |||||||
* Per capita GDP in Euro is calculated by using the yearly average exchange rate
(p): partial data
(f): forecast
** Fluid Grade
NOTE:Per capita consumptions are obtained dividing total consumption (Source FAS-USDA ) by the population (Source FAO)
METRIC CONVERSION FACTORS | ||||
1 Hectare = 2.4710 Acres; 1 Kilogram = 2.2046 Pounds | ||||
1 Metric Ton | := | Domestic Unit | * | Factor |
Wheat & Soybeans | := | bushels | * | 0.027216 |
Rice | := | cwt | * | 0.045359 |
Rapeseed & Sunflowerseed | := | cwt | * | 0.045359 |
Corn, Sorghum & Rye | := | bushels | * | 0.025401 |
Barley | := | bushels | * | 0.021772 |
Oats | := | bushels | * | 0.014515 |
Sugar | := | short tons | * | 0.907185 |
Cotton | := | 480-lb bales | * | 0.217720 |
UK cwt: in UK CWT is "long hundred weight" (long is equivalent to gross) = 112 lbs, that equals to 50.8024 Kg. USA cwt : in USA CWT is "short hundred weight" (short is equivalent to net)=100 lbs, that equals to 45.3592 Kg. |
Source:
Raw material area: USDA, ERS; Cow's milk production: National Agricultural Statistics Service
Dairy production: National Agricultural Statistics Service and USDA
Export and Import: Census Bureau
Consumption: FAS-USDA
GDP and CPI: Intesa Sanpaolo
GDP per capita: International Monetary Found
Population: FAO
Note: Self-sufficiency rate = Milk deliveries/(Domestic use in milk equivalent ME)
Domestic use in milk equivalent (ME) = Milk deliveries + Import in ME - Export in ME
The Self-sufficiency rate does not consider the trade of FFMP (fat-filled milk powder) - HS 190190 and the infant milk formula.
Last update: 2025-07-08
US: Export on Production | |||||
Product | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | May 2025 | Jan-May 2025 |
Butter | 7,4% | 3,8% | 4,6% | 7,9% | 8,3% |
Cheese | 7,1% | 6,8% | 8,0% | 9,2% | 8,9% |
WMP | 62,8% | 51,5% | 50,4% | 95,4% | 49,5% |
SMP | 86,3% | 87,0% | 88,6% | 66,3% | 61,9% |
Whey | 109,1% | 80,8% | 85,9% | 54,0% | 62,7% |
Lactose | 89,8% | 94,0% | 86,0% | 74,2% | 80,2% |
SMP: SMP+NDM Production, SMP (040210) Export Code
Whey: Whey + WPC (25% - 50%) Production, Whey (0404) Export Code
Lactose: Lactose Production, Lactose edible + pharmaceutical (170211+170219) Export Code