The Latest: July - 2025
Dairy Markets Have Lost That Summer Sizzle
The dairy markets have lost that summer sizzle. It’s still hot in the Northeast and in states along the West Coast. Milk production is much lower than it was during the spring flush, just as it always is in mid-July. Components have dropped. But in the center of the country, cows are enjoying cool nights and recovering from the sweltering conditions that prevailed a couple weeks ago. Milk yields are bouncing back in the Midwest.
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The beginning of October is a key time in the dairy industry as buyers start placing holiday orders and markets begin to move the way we always expect them to ahead of a more festive time of year. But a mild summer kept milk supplies longer than normal deeper into the season. Even rallying butter prices lost their momentum. Will a somewhat strange end to the summer lead to any surprises in markets toward the tail end of this year?
View reportWe’re in the thick of the summer doldrums. It’s expected during these mid-summer weeks that dairy markets do not move much. And they haven’t. But the doldrums don’t mean there’s nothing interesting going on. Dairy industry observers are intrigued by notably sluggish retail and consumer cheese sales even though summertime usually means those sales should be peaking.
View reportBy far the most noteworthy dairy market at the moment is butter. While butter typically peaks in late summer and early autumn, a surge in domestic spot prices that began in mid-April continues, sending prices from $2.0625 to over $2.7000 per pound by mid-June. And there’s no sign —at least for now— that indicates prices may fall back in the coming weeks. So how high will butter go?
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