The Latest: June - 2025
Milk Flows Again as Herds Grow
The heifer shortage and avian influenza reined in U.S. milk output in 2024, fostering lofty milk and dairy product prices in the second half of last year. But after nearly two years of low cull rates and sheer grit, the parlors are full, and so are the milk tanks. In the first 24 weeks of 2025, dairy cow slaughter was 7.7% behind the 2024 pace and 15.6% slower than historic average cull rates. Dairy producers added 122,000 cows over the past 11 months. From coast to coast, but especially in the center of the country, producers are looking to expand their facilities and add significantly more cows over the next 18 months.
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Plunging stocks, cheap oil, and a strong dollar would normally spell disaster in the dairy markets. There was a lot of red ink on LaSalle Street but the damage was not nearly as extreme as feared.
View reportThe dairy markets sprinted out of the gate on Monday, but they couldn’t sustain such an energetic pace. The dairy markets are fixated on the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and its potential impact on the economy and consumer behavior. However, there are a lot of good things to be said about dairy market fundamentals.
View reportThe markets were swamped in waves of selling due to fears that the coronavirus would spread. The dairy bulls finally came up for air on Friday, bringing some much needed calm to the dairy complex.
View reportThe markets were awash in red ink on Wednesday, and the selloff gathered speed as the week drew to a close.
View reportDairy producers can live with those prices, but they are certainly uninspiring, especially after several years of hardship.
View reportThe market is still suffering a hangover after over-indulging in October and November and the damage has been done.
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