The Latest: July - 2026
Producers Just Keep Adding Cows
On Tuesday, USDA’s latest Milk Production report confirmed that American dairy producers just keep adding cows. They crowded in another 19,000 cows in June, according to USDA’s best guess, and the dairy herd reached 9.677 million head. That’s 192,000 more cows than there were a year ago, nearly equivalent to adding the entire dairy industry of Arizona or Indiana to the U.S. herd in a 12-month span. The U.S. dairy herd is larger than it’s been since 1993.
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After rocketing higher last week, CME spot Cheddar blocks continued to soar. But, the cheese markets are likely to remain volatile.
View reportThough the bulls made headway, their progress was laborious. Each week they argued that tighter milk supplies and falling cheese inventories should lift prices. Now, the bulls are clearly in charge.
View reportFootball season has arrived, schools are back in session, and cheese demand is excellent. Output is not keeping pace. While Cheddar blocks score fresh multi-year highs, spot butter reached a milestone of a very different sort.
View reportThis weeks rise in cheese prices in an already lofty market are truly impressive. Last week’s Cold Storage report showed an astounding drawdown in cheese inventories, and the spot markets suggest that fresh supplies are tight.
View reportDespite the rough week in the dairy pits, dairy product prices and Class III values in particular will soon find their footing.
View reportThe spot markets have been buoyed by robust near-term fundamentals. However, dairy futures were far from exuberant this week and some new clouds have moved onto the horizon.
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