Dairy Market R
Dairy Management Inc.
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Vol u m e 2 4 | N o. 5
Overview
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May 2021
DMI | NMP F
Several positive signs have emerged in recent months that are pointing to a tightening milk supply-demand balance and improving milk prices. Year-over-year
milk production growth moderated from 2.4 percent in January to 1.8 percent in March, and there are unmistakable signs that the national dairy cow herd is on the ebbing side of the current herd expansion cycle. U.S. dairy exports are particularly strong, with March exports reaching the second highest level ever as a percentage of monthly U.S. milk solids production. Meanwhile, domestic use of dairy products in the first quarter of 2021 rose 7 percent from a year earlier for both butter and American-type cheese. Still, despite the rosier outlook, immediate conditions remain challenging, with margins under the federal Dairy Margin Coverage program averaging almost $3.00/cwt below the maximum $9.50/cwt coverage level during the quarter, as rising feed costs combined with out-of-balance milk supplies kept returns over feed costs at depressed levels.
Commercial Use of Dairy Products Total fluid milk sales dropped sharply in the first quarter of 2021, with March sales down by 7.5 percent from a year earlier. The fading of the COVID-19 pandemic is decreasing retail dairy product consumption even as food service and institutional purchasing rises, a transition that will take several months to complete. In contrast, overall domestic butter and American-type cheese consumption was up sharply during the quarter, while other than American-type cheese has yet to reflect food service growth. Domestic use of milk in all
Domestic Commercial Use
products increased by respectable amounts by all milk solids measures.
U.S. Dairy Trade The first quarter of 2021 saw very strong growth in U.S. dairy exports almost across-the-board. Eased shipping delays that plagued U.S. ports during the last few months of 2020 partly explained the boom, but global demand for U.S. dairy products is genuinely increasing as well. Exports of almost all listed products were above their respective
Jan–Mar 2021
continued on page 2
Jan–Mar 2020
2020–2021 Change
Percent Change*
-636 37 28 72 -14 58 6 844 -11 278
-4.2% 4.3% 7.0% 7.0% 0.3% 3.0% 4.7% 2.8% 1.1% 1.7%
(million pounds)
Total Fluid Milk Products Yogurt Butter American–type Cheese All Other Cheese Total Cheese Dry Skim Milk All Products (milk equiv., milkfat basis) All Products (milk equiv., skim solids basis) All Products (milk equiv., total solids basis)
11,381 1,207 508 1,314 1,831 3,146 170 52,778 44,801 47,285 *adjusted for leap year
12,017 1,170 480 1,242 1,845 3,088 164 51,934 44,812 47,007
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Milk Production
U.S. Dairy Trade from page 1
levels a year earlier during each month of the year’s first quarter, except for weakness in January for other than American type cheese and dry skim milk, as well as lactose, for which February exports were also lower. As a percentage of U.S. milk solids, March exports were the highest ever for that month and the second highest for any month. By the same measure, February exports were the second highest for that month and January’s exports were the ranked third highest for that month. Meanwhile, first quarter U.S. dairy imports continued lower compared to year earlier for the major product categories except for butter, for which imports almost doubled in March. March imports were also higher for the major import categories of cheese, milk protein concentrate and casein.
The year-over-year increase in the U.S. dairy herd reached a recent peak in December last year, when USDA reported 93,000 more cows on U.S. dairy farms than there were in December 2019. This rate of expansion as ebbed since then, with 77,000 more cows in the country than a year earlier in March. Year-over-year milk production growth reflects this. It’s been declining steadily since last November, when it peaked at 3.5 percent, but was half that, 1.8 percent, in March. This pattern of receding production growth has been mirrored in most states, with marked exceptions in Wisconsin, Minnesota and South Dakota. USDA data indicate that U.S. milk solids production increased by just over a full percentage point faster than liquid milk production during the first quarter.
U.S. Dairy Exports
Jan–Mar 2021
Butter Anhydrous Milk Fat / Butteroil Cheddar Cheese American–type Cheese All Other Cheese Total Cheese Dry Skim Milk Whole Milk Powder Dry Whey Whey Protein Concentrate / Isolate Lactose Percent of U.S. Milk Solids Exported
10,445 1,171 11,079 11,161 81,166 92,327 220,985 10,270 60,683 53,567 87,379 16.4%
2020–2021 Change
Percent Change*
4,716 688 10,021 10,095 82,169 92,264 186,360 9,524 46,132 46,376 97,448 15.1%
5,729 483 1,058 1,066 -1,003 64 34,625 746 14,551 7,191 -10,069 1.3%
124% 72% 12% 12% 0% 1% 20% 9% 33% 17% -9% 9%
Jan–Mar 2020
2020–2021 Change
Percent Change*
Jan–Mar 2020 (metric tons)
*adjusted for leap year
U.S. Dairy Imports
Jan–Mar 2021
(metric tons)
Butter Cheese Dry Skim Milk MPC (all protein levels) Casein Percent of U.S. Milk Solids Imported
7,539 39,182 71 13,200 16,945 2.8% *adjusted for leap year
2 – Dairy Market Report | May 2021
5,407 40,544 104 15,424 14,611 3.2%
2,132 -1,362 -34 -2,224 2,334 -0.4%
41% -2% -31% -13% 17% -11%
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Dairy Products Dairy product production data strongly suggest that increased milk solids production during the first quarter largely went to increased production of American-type cheese. Total dry skim milk production on a leap-year-adjusted basis was 2.4 percent higher than a year earlier, and butter and dry whey were essentially flat, while other than American type cheese production was 1.1 percent higher.
Dairy Product Inventories Month-ending stocks rose from February to March for cheese, were stable for butter and dropped for dry skim milk and dry
whey. Measured as days of commercial use in stock, end-of-month inventories were lower in March for butter and the dry products but relatively unchanged for other than American-type cheese. American cheese stocks were higher in March by all measures.
Dairy Product and Federal Order Class Prices Monthly survey prices of all the dairy products that establish federal order class prices were higher in April than in March, especially for butter and cheese. The same was true for all four federal order class prices themselves. continued on page 4
Milk and Dairy Products Production
Jan–Mar 2021
Jan–Mar 2020
Milk Production Cows (1,000 head) Per Cow (pounds) Total Milk (million pounds) Total Milk Solids (million pounds)
9,458 6,000 56,745 7,437
9,378 5,990 56,174 7,289
Dairy Products Production Cheese American Types Cheddar Italian Types Mozzarella Total Cheese
2020–2021 Change
Percent Change*
81 10 571 147
0.9% 1.3% 2.1% 3.2%
(million pounds)
1,379 986 1,427 1,115 3,354
1,303 934 1,420 1,124 3,279
76 52 7 -9 75
7.0% 6.8% 1.6% 0.3% 3.4%
Butter
595
600
-5
0.3%
Dry Milk Products Nonfat Dry Milk Skim Milk Powder Dry Whey Whey Protein Concentrate
580 106 244 127
533 136 246 117
47 -30 -2 10
10.1% -21.1% 0.1% 10.1%
*adjusted for leap year
Dairy Product Inventories
Mar 2021
Feb 2021
355 832 634 327 64
355 817 619 354 70
Mar 2020
2020– 2021 Change
(million pounds)
Butter American Cheese Other Cheese Dry Skim Milk Dry Whey
310 776 598 363 75
15% 7% 6% -10% -14%
Dairy Market Report | May 2021 – 3
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Dairy Product and Federal Order Class Prices from page 3
U.S. average retail prices for fluid milk products rose significantly in April from a month earlier, while retail cheese and butter prices were significantly lower. This may reflect recent drops in retail sales for manufactured dairy products as those products were restocked by food service operations. After rising by 1.9 percent from a year earlier during the first quarter, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for all items rose by 4.2 percent in April from April 2020, unleashing
much media discussion about possible reignition of inflation. Bucking this trend, the CPI for food and beverages was up by 3.5 percent in the first quarter but 2.3 percent in April, and the CPI for dairy and related products even more so, with annual growth of 2.7 percent in the first quarter and just 0.6 percent in April.
Milk and Feed Prices February’s Dairy Margin Coverage program margin showed further signs of being the year’s bottom, as March’s margin continued on page 5
Dairy Product and Federal Order Prices NDPSR Dairy Product Prices Butter Cheddar Cheese 40-Pound Blocks 500-Pound Barrels Nonfat Dry Milk Dry Whey
Apr 2021
Mar 2021
Apr 2020
2020–2021 Change
(per pound)
$1.781 $1.711 $1.792 $1.601 $1.168 $0.614
$1.590 $1.598 $1.670 $1.502 $1.117 $0.554
$1.263 $1.403 $1.526 $1.274 $0.955 $0.373
$0.518 $0.308 $0.265 $0.327 $0.213 $0.240
(per hundredweight)
Federal Order Class Prices for Milk Class I Mover Class II Class III Class IV
$15.51 $15.56 $17.67 $15.42
$15.20 $15.07 $16.15 $14.18
$16.64 $13.87 $13.07 $11.40
-$1.13 $1.69 $4.60 $4.02
Retail Dairy Product Prices Fluid Whole Milk (per gallon) Lowfat Fluid Milk (per gallon) Cheddar Cheese (per pound) Butter (per pound)
$3.447 $3.045 $5.441 $3.521
$3.348 $2.966 $5.682 $3.643
$3.267 $2.901 $5.453 $3.725
$0.180 $0.144 -$0.012 -$0.204
Mar 2021
Feb 2021
Mar 2020
2020–2021 Change
Producer Prices All Milk (per cwt.)
$17.40
$17.10
$18.00
-$0.60
Feed Prices Corn (per bushel) Soybean Meal (per ton) Alfalfa Hay (per ton) DMC Feed Cost (per cwt.)
$4.89 $410 $196 $10.94
$4.75 $427 $193 $10.88
$3.68 $312 $190 $8.85
$1.21 $98 $6 $2.09
$6.46
$6.22
$9.15
-$2.69
Milk and Feed Prices
DMC Margin (per cwt.)
4 – Dairy Market Report | May 2021
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Milk and Feed Prices from page 4
rose $0.24/cwt to $6.46/cwt. The March U.S. average all-milk price was $17.40/cwt, $0.30/cwt higher than in February, while the DMC March calculated feed cost was just $0.06/cwt higher than February’s. On a per hundredweight of milk basis, a higher corn price was almost entirely offset by a lower cost of soybean meal in March. The March payment for $9.50/cwt DMC program coverage is $3.04/cwt. On an annual basis, the DMC program will have already paid the equivalent of $2.17/cwt for coverage at $9.50/cwt during the first quarter of 2021 alone. USDA reported that 164.7 billion pounds of production history, or 79.2 percent of the total, was enrolled in the 2021 DMC program, with an estimated $344 million in payments for disbursement as of May 3.
Looking Ahead Current futures prices indicate that DMC margins going forward should rise above $9.50/cwt by late summer this year. The March margin was more than $3.00/cwt below this level, and the futures currently foresee a rise in the U.S. milk price of over $4.00 from March to a peak in October, while the feed cost outlook shows a peak for the year during the next few months but recession from there through the fall. Recent changes in U.S. dairy cow numbers strongly suggest that they are resembling a cycle typical for at least the last quarter-century. In a typical expansion cycle, U.S. cow numbers begin to rise above their level of a year earlier, following which
Peter Vitaliano National Milk Producers Federation pvitaliano@nmpf.org www.nmpf.org
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monthly cow numbers will exceed year earlier levels by steadily increasing amounts for about the next year, reach a peak and then recede until the monthly growth ends and turns negative. This point often then marks the beginning of a cycle of cow number decline, or a herd contraction cycle, with similar characteristics except that the monthly cow numbers are below a year earlier. Prior to the current period of cow number growth, there was a dairy cow herd expansion cycle that began in June 2016, reached a peak 11 months later of 86,000 more cows than a year earlier and lasted a total of 24 months. Prior to that, there was a somewhat shorter and more intense herd expansion cycle, powered by the record-high milk prices of that time, that began in June 2014, reached a peak of 103,000 more cows 8 months later and lasted 19 months. The U.S. dairy cow herd began growing in January 2020 and now appears to be on the downward slope of a typical expansion cycle. Accordingly, dairy cow numbers might be expected to stop growing by the end of this year. However, this decline may be somewhat uneven since the current expansion cycle had an uneven start when the pandemic first hit a year ago. But this still augurs that national milk supply and demand will increasingly come into balance, and perhaps a tight balance, later this year, as demand recovers from the pandemic and cow numbers level off. The dairy futures are increasingly, but not yet fully, reflecting this dairy market scenario.
Dairy Management Inc.™ and state, regional, and international organizations work together to drive demand for dairy products on behalf of America's dairy farmers, through the programs of the American Dairy Association ®, the National Dairy Council ®, and the U.S. Dairy Export Council ®. The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) is a farm commodity organization representing most of the dairy marketing cooperatives serving the U.S.
Dairy Market Report | May 2021 – 5