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Milk, Dairy and Grain Market Commentary
The cheese markets soared. CME spot Cheddar blocks leapt 11.25ȼ to $1.93 per pound, their highest price since January. Barrels followed hot on their tail, climbing 11ȼ to $1.88. The widely anticipated increase in U.S. cheese output is underway, but the ramp up has been slower than expected. Cheese buyers who were waiting for heavy supplies and lower prices to lock in their summer needs are now scrambling to get their hands on some product. USDA’s Dairy Market News notes that
18 minutes ago4 min read


Milk, Dairy and Grain Market Commentary
The bulls feasted this week on news of booming U.S. dairy exports and signs that American dairy remains attractive to foreign buyers. Tuesday’s Global Dairy Trade (GDT) auction served as an appetizer. Buyers bid up nearly all products. Compared to the late-April auction, whole milk powder prices climbed 6.2% while Cheddar jumped 12%. Both products notched three-year highs. Not to be outdone, butter rallied 3.8% to its highest-ever price at the GDT. And lactose values leapt 16
May 94 min read


Milk, Dairy and Grain Market Commentary
Ailing domestic consumption and dimming export prospects have weighed on dairy commodity values, and in turn, milk prices. The April Class III price was announced this week at $17.48/cwt. while Class IV came in at $17.92/cwt., representing the first time since October 2021 that both prices were below $18. Modest relief may be on the way as futures markets currently predict that both Class III and Class IV values will improve slightly later in the year.
May 24 min read


Milk, Dairy and Grain Market Commentary
Every week, U.S. dairy producers send about 10,000 fewer milk cows to beef packers than they used to. That’s slowly adding up to more cows in the barn. Even so, dairy cow head counts are not as high as previously thought. After its quarterly survey, USDA trimmed its estimates of January and February milk cow inventories. The agency pegged the herd at...
Apr 253 min read


Milk, Dairy and Grain Market Commentary
The cheese markets moved from strength to strength after the early-spring selloff energized exports. U.S. cheese is the cheapest in the world, and shipments to key markets – including Mexico and South Korea – remained formidable through February. USDA’s Dairy Market News reports that, more recently, export orders have been stronger than expected, as Mexican buyers have not been deterred by trade war uncertainty. American exporters are hustling to move cheese abroad, which has
Apr 183 min read


Milk, Dairy and Grain Market Commentary
Spring has sprung and the resurgence of allergies isn’t the only sign of the season. Milk volumes are also expanding in most regions as the spring flush moves across the country. Seasonal increases are compounding milk volumes that are growing year over year both in liquid terms and in component values. As a result, milk supplies are plentiful in most parts of the U.S. Demand from bottlers has generally been upbeat, especially as many educational institutions are wrapping up
Apr 114 min read


Milk, Dairy and Grain Market Commentary
Tariff drama took center stage again this week as the long-awaited “Liberation Day” arrived. Speaking from the Rose Garden, President...
Apr 44 min read


Milk, Dairy and Grain Market Commentary
Dairy producers are doing all they can to keep their barns and milk tanks full, and it shows. In the week ending March 15, they sent just...
Mar 283 min read


Milk, Dairy and Grain Market Commentary
The days are getting longer and milk production is climbing. It’s officially spring. The Midwest welcomed in the new season with a few...
Mar 214 min read


Milk, Dairy and Grain Market Commentary
The dairy markets are adjusting to the new regime. Trade threats – and new tariffs on U.S. dairy exports to Canada and China – have...
Mar 143 min read


Milk, Dairy and Grain Market Commentary
Like a teenager in a bad relationship, U.S. tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico are on-again, off-again, and then changing their...
Mar 74 min read


Milk, Dairy and Grain Market Commentary
Red ink flooded Chicago this week. The dairy markets suffered a deluge of data and news that invigorated the bears. The trade war heated up.
Feb 285 min read


Milk, Dairy and Grain Market Commentary
U.S. milk production may have changed its tune. After slipping in the final months of 2024, output appears to have grown in January,
Feb 214 min read


Milk, Dairy and Grain Market Commentary
Love is in the air. And while folks across the country may be looking forward to preparing a special date night dinner for their...
Feb 154 min read


Milk, Dairy and Grain Market Commentary
It was a truly wild week on LaSalle Street. The dairy markets swung violently back and forth amid the on-again, off-again trade war.
Feb 74 min read


Milk, Dairy and Grain Market Commentary
This week may have been light on USDA reports, but there was no shortage of news for the dairy markets to digest. Developing stories...
Jan 314 min read


Milk, Dairy and Grain Market Commentary
To the dismay of hamburger consumers across the nation, dairy producers sent just 2.76 million cows to slaughter in 2024. That was...
Jan 244 min read


Milk, Dairy and Grain Market Commentary
The cheese markets are searching for direction. In the rearview mirror, booming exports and a steep drop in U.S. cheese stocks argue...
Jan 174 min read


Milk, Dairy and Grain Market Commentary
The dairy markets are adjusting to the post-Christmas routine. Traders are back at their desks, and milk bottlers are running full throttle.
Jan 104 min read


Milk, Dairy and Grain Market Commentary
As the new year unfurls before us, dairy producers and other industry stakeholders are preparing for the opportunities and challenges...
Jan 34 min read
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