Market Reports

Falling international prices spooked the U.S. milk powder market. At this week’s Global Dairy Trade (GDT) Pulse auction, skim milk powder (SMP) prices fell 0.7% from last week’s GDT event, dropping to a 13-month low of $2,530 per metric ton, equal to nonfat dry milk (NDM) at around $1.22 per pound. Whole milk powder prices slipped 0.9% to a one-year low. Manufacturers in Europe and Oceania are flush with milk, and dryers are running hard.

Dairy markets both in the U.S. and across the globe continue to feel out the balance of supply and demand. Although the dramatic price decreases seen during the last few weeks have given way to more modest movements, the overall market tone remains bearish. Tuesday’s Global Dairy Trade (GDT) auction, albeit glitchy, ultimately saw the GDT Price Index move down 1.4%, the fifth consecutive lower result. The decline in the index reflected lower prices across every product except anhydrous milkfat.

The dairy industry is the victim of its own success. Heavy milk output continues to weigh on milk and dairy product prices. USDA’s Dairy Market News reports that in California, milk production tops year-ago levels by a wide margin, “edging into double digits.” The eye-popping year-over-year increase can be partially explained by the onset of the devastating bird flu last year and the healthier herd today. That does not change the fact that the market has significantly more milk to absorb than it did in late 2024 and early 2025.

As the government shutdown stretches into its second week, the dairy industry continues to operate without access to key data. To this point, the main information gaps for the dairy sector include numbers for trade and dairy product output. However, if the shutdown persists, upcoming reports on milk production and inventories will also be missed, further obfuscating stakeholders’ understanding of market drivers.

The dairy markets continue to lean bearish, as milk output grows around the world. But that doesn’t mean that prices must move downward constantly. After several weeks of steep declines, the dairy markets regained a little ground this week. On LaSalle Street, traders describe this as a healthy correction in a bear market.

Milk is absolutely gushing out of the U.S. dairy industry. Milk production reached 19.52 billion pounds in August, up 3.2% from a year ago. USDA revised its estimate of July milk output and cow numbers, upward significantly. The agency now reports that dairy producers added 35,000 cows in July and another 10,000 head in August. That put the August milk-cow herd at 9.52 million head, larger than at any time since late 1993 and up 176,000 head from a year ago.