The Latest: September - 2025
No Bulls to Be Found on LaSalle Street
There were no bulls to be found on LaSalle Street this week. The bears roamed freely, showing no fear of an overcorrection even as parts of the dairy complex scored multi-year lows. Red ink poured into the cheese and milk powder trade and deluged the butter market. CME spot butter plummeted to $1.86 per pound, down 16.25ȼ in just five trading sessions. Spot butter is down more than 40% from the mid-summer high, languishing at its lowest level since October 2021, nearly four years ago. The weakness carried across the futures board, with May through October 2026 contracts dropping 10ȼ or more on Friday.
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CME spot Cheddar barrels dropped to a 10-month low but came roaring back. The powder markets firmed as well.
View reportMilk yields and components remain high while an unsettled market tries to digest the holiday excess.
View reportRevenues improved throughout the year. Although not sufficient to undo years of financial distress, it is the highest revenue since 2014 and worthy of celebration.
View reportThe market did its job, encouraging production, discouraging sales, and returning to equilibrium at more sustainable values.
View reportPass the egg nog, please. USDA announced the highest Class III price in five years. That’s a lot of Christmas cheer heading for dairy producers’ mailboxes. The butter market, however, is suffering a holiday hangover.
View reportThe gains were driven by impressive improvements in milk production per cow. Higher prices and mild weather have boosted milk output.
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