California Ag Network

Category: Dairy Industry

  • Consumers’ Approval of Farming & Agriculture Tops Gallup List

    Gallup recently released their “Americans’ Views of U.S. Business and Industry Sectors 2020” and the results show consumers’ view of farming and agriculture has improved over the past year, jumping up 11%.  Now topping the list and beating out 25 other business and industry sectors, including the retail, internet and travel industries. The sports industry has taken the biggest hit, falling 15% points from last year and coming in 23rd out of 25 sectors.  

    Rewind back to the beginning of 2020: Joaquin Phoenix was using his Oscar acceptance speech to denounce dairy farmers. Suddenly, it seemed dairy farmers were Public Enemy No. 1 as Starbucks and other major retailers encouraged plant-based alternatives in the name of “Veganuary,” a campaign that aims to get people to adopt a plant-based diets. In reality, dairy’s role in greenhouse gas emissions is today — and has always been — part of a natural cycle that occurs when cows methane emissions are reabsorbed by plants entirely unlike the emissions from cars, factories … or even the planes like that Mr. Joaquin himself undoubtably takes to travel around the globe.  Direct emissions from the dairy industry accounts for only 2% of the total greenhouse gas contribution, emitting mainly from rumen digestion and manure — and based largely on a variety of natural processes.

    Despite many people’s efforts to go vegan to help the environment Dr. Frank Mitloehner, a professor at the University of California-Davis said, “It does not have a huge result. The dairy industry does not only talk big about making improvements. Results from decades of data show words turned into measurable actions. The nation used to have 25 million dairy cows in 1950. Today, there are 9 million. Despite the decrease in herd sizes, farmers are producing 60 percent more milk, which totaled a two-thirds reduction in the carbon footprint”.

    The truth is, farmers care. They care enough to dedicate their lives to providing quality and affordable food and fiber to families across our country. They do this without expectation of thanks or recognition.   It’s one of the oldest professions and , during times of uncertainty, one that will persevere despite a pandemic, catastrophic weather and economic woes.  Farmers are resilient and consumers now recognize we must count on the U.S. food supply in order to keep the store shelves stocked.  Farming families across the nation — long after the fears of the pandemic subsides — will continue to work hard as they treat their animals with care and dignity. They will strive to use innovation to feed more mouths with less land and use fewer resources to preserve the environment for future generations — just as they had before the onset of the pandemic.

    Let’s not forget to thank a farmer; not just today, but everyday. — By Walt Moore, President of the American Dairy Coalition

  • Fewer Choices, Higher Prices are Coming Unless Prop. 15 is Defeated

    Mark Lacy, president of the California Cattlemen’s Association, penned an opinion piece in the San Joaquin Valley Sun opposing Proposition 15, the largest property tax increase in California history. Lacy cited concerns that the $11.5 billion-a-year property tax measure will devastate family-owned ranches and ultimately lead to higher prices for meat, cheese, eggs and produce for California families.

    Read excerpts from “Fewer choices, higher prices are headed your way unless Prop. 15 is defeated” published in the San Joaquin Valley Sun below: 

    Grocery bills will get more expensive, the cost of living will rise, ranchers will go out of business and our state’s economic recovery will move at a glacial pace.

    “These would be just some of Proposition 15’s devastating impacts. As a rancher, I urge California voters to reject Prop 15 in November.

    “Otherwise, every Californian will pay for the largest property tax increase in California history, even as we deal with COVID-19 and an unprecedented economic crisis.

    “Ranches in California are family businesses. Ranches across the state are currently tended by fifth- or sixth-generation ranchers carrying on the family tradition of providing responsibly-raised, nutritious beef to California consumers…

    “Prop. 15 will devastate farmers and ranchers by increasing property taxes on agricultural buildings and improvements, including basically everything that is required to move food from farm to fork. Structures like barns and feedlots will be heavily taxed; even fruit trees and grape vines will be subject to higher property taxes.

    “The result is that families throughout California will pay more for meat, cheese, eggs, produce and virtually every other agricultural product at a time when many can least afford it.

    “Proposition 15 will even increase property taxes on solar panels and methane digesters, effectively punishing farmers and ranchers for proactively undertaking responsible environmental stewardship…

    “California ranchers and farmers could lose as much as $8.6 billion in 2020, according to a study by the California Farm Bureau Federation…

    “The prospect of eliminating agriculture’s Prop 13-guaranteed tax protections could not come at a worse time. Prop 15, unless defeated, will be the final blow to many ranchers, farmers and our employees.”

  • Strong Relationships with Elected Officials, Key in Protecting Future of Dairy

    The Animal Agriculture Alliance released their report outlining observations from the “Taking Action for Animals Conference” (TAFA),” which took place September 19-20th. The event, featuring speakers from the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), Humane Society International and the Humane Society Legislative Fund, stressed the need for attendees who pride themselves as animal activists to become highly engaged in changing current legislation throughout the U.S. by working directly with legislators to pursue “animal-friendly” legislation in federal, state, and local government levels.

    Attendees were urged by HSUS leadership to become one of the “go-to people” in the legislator’s district, who he or she will reach out to when they have a question about animal protection.

    HSUS is deceitful, preying on emotions and the good intentions of Americans to fund the HSUS agenda of ending animal agriculture and putting farmers out of business. According to HumaneWatch, “HSUS raises millions of dollars from American animal lovers through manipulative advertising… However, HSUS doesn’t run a single pet shelter and only gives 1 percent of the money it raises to pet shelters while sucking money out of local communities. HSUS’s own donors and local shelters feel wronged.”

    Animal activists, who intend to end animal agriculture, are using this new strategy to position themselves to provide direct input on the policies which regulate how you operate your dairy operation. It is more important than ever to ensure you have a strong relationship with your officials at all levels of government, regardless of their political affiliation. Your legislator must hear directly from you to better understand the care you provide to your animals, the methods that keep your employees and the environment safe, and the direct contribution your hard work provides to the economy and to your local community. We cannot let those who wish to end animal agriculture have a stronger voice than us regarding agriculture legislative policy.

    These same activists are blaming animal agriculture for the pandemic and destroying the “livability” of our planet. While activists accuse farmers of ruining the environment, dairy and livestock producers are hard at work growing and raising quality, affordable and safe food to nourish families across the nation. There are many who do not know where their next meal will come from and who do not have the luxury of excluding affordable complete protein sources like dairy and meat.

    Find out who your federal and state legislators are below. Take a minute and send an e-mail, tell them about what you do and ask them to contact you anytime with questions they may have. Monthly emails and repetitive contact are critical to building and maintaining relationships with your legislators. YOU need to be their resource on information regarding the dairy industry.

    Find Your Elected Officials Here

    Maintaining a close dialogue with your representatives is key in influencing the narrative and ensuring ideological beliefs are not mistaken for scientific facts. — By Laurie Fischer, CEO of the American Dairy Coalition

  • Researchers are Juicing Alfalfa as a Next-Generation Aquafeed

    Cows and horses aren’t the only fans of alfalfa. Yellow perch like it, too.

    That’s what Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists and their collaborators concluded when they fed the fish pellets made with a protein concentrate from the legume crop’s protein-rich leaves.

    They’re experimenting with alfalfa as part of a broader effort to find suitable alternatives to using fishmeal, a protein-rich ingredient in aquaculture feeds given to “farm-raised” finfish and shellfish. Aquaculture is the fastest-growing sector of the food industry worldwide, generating $1.37 billion in U.S. sales alone. However, there’s concern that increasing consumer demand for aquaculture products will outpace what the ocean’s wild-caught stock of sardine, anchovy, menhaden and other small forage fish can supply as a fishmeal resource for aquafeeds.

    According to Deborah Samac, who leads the ARS Plant Science Research Unit in St. Paul, Minnesota, formulating aquafeeds with plant-based proteins could help lessen the need for fishmeal in aquafeeds, reducing aquaculture’s impact on aquatic natural resources. Using nutritious, affordable alternatives to fishmeal could also ease the burden on pelagic fish populations, which are important members of the marine ecosystem and its inhabitants, particularly larger predatory species.

    Deborah Samac examining alfalfa growth

    Soybean meal, barley and algae are among alternatives being explored or already commercialized. Now, many of the same qualities that make alfalfa “Queen of the Forages” (and third largest U.S. field crop) could put it on the aquafeed shortlist as well. These include a crude protein content of 15 to 22 percent and a rich assortment of vitamins, including A, B and D, as well as minerals such as magnesium and copper.

    Alfalfa is typically fed to dairy cows, beef cattle and horses as hay, silage or a direct forage. But it can also be “juiced” for its protein concentrate, and that’s the form Samac and her University of Minnesota (UM) collaborators used for their yellow perch feeding trials.

    The actual formulation process can involve passing alfalfa leaves through a screw press, squeezing out juices and then heating and centrifuging them to produce a protein concentrate, which is then dried and processed into small pellets along with other ingredients.

    The feeding trial results showed that perch given pellets containing the alfalfa protein concentrate (APC) gained somewhat less weight than perch given fishmeal formulations. But there was little difference between their health, longevity and overall wellbeing. Their fillet yields, quality, composition and flavor were also similar, the researchers reported in a paper submitted to the journal Aquaculture Reports.

    According to Samac, alfalfa could help impart greater sustainability to the $133.5 billion global aquafeed market by virtue of the ecosystem “services” and other benefits the crop provides.

    For example, as a legume, it is a super star at naturally converting atmospheric nitrogen into a form that corn and other crops can use for their growth, alleviating the need to apply chemical fertilizers. Alfalfa’s robust growth makes it an ideal cover crop, anchoring soil, retaining its moisture, helping it store carbon and controlling weeds. Alfalfa flowers are also important food for both wild and domesticated bees, contributing to the latter’s production of honey, wax and other products.

    Samac said additional studies are underway to fine-tune the APC concentrations used in aquafeed formulations, evaluate different processing methods, and expand feeding trials, which include rainbow trout. Value-added uses for byproducts of the APC juicing process will also be explored, she added.

    Her collaborators on the effort are Jessica Coburn, Scott Wells, Craig Sheaffer, Roger Ruan and Nicholas Phelps—all of UM in St. Paul—and Gibson Gaylord of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Bozeman Fish Technology Center. Collaborators on the expanded trials include Dong Fang Deng (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee), Matt Digman (University of Wisconsin-Madison) and animal physiologist Brian Shepherd, with ARS’ Dairy Forage Research Unit in Madison, WI.

    The Agricultural Research Service is the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s chief scientific in-house research agency. Daily, ARS focuses on solutions to agricultural problems affecting America. Each dollar invested in agricultural research results in $20 of economic impact.

  • Dairy Council of California Celebrates a Century-Long Legacy of Elevating Health

    Message from Tammy Anderson-Wise, CEO, Dairy Council of California — The 2019–2020 fiscal year has been one of the most rewarding, unexpected and challenging years for Dairy Council of California. We started by celebrating 100 years of empowering stakeholders and educating children and families. We enjoyed many successes in the first three quarters of the year, working toward innovating the programs, resources and work we do in schools and communities throughout California, as well as ramping up to launch a new movement. Then, in March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced businesses and schools to close and families to shelter in place, impacting everyone and creating change overnight. With many challenges to overcome, we also found new opportunities. 

    Tammy Anderson-Wise, CEO, Dairy Council of California

    Despite having to move to remote work environments, Dairy Council of California staff quickly coordinated efforts and achieved impressive results. Some of these successes include expediting online access to existing educational resources and creating a webpage devoted to support educators; designing a dedicated landing page as a hub for students, parents, educators and the school community seeking free school meal sites; and innovating our popular Mobile Dairy Classroom assemblies as virtual farm tours to support ag literacy in California and beyond. Behind the scenes work by staff builds on our rich legacy of empowering children and families to make nutritious foods, including milk and dairy, a part of their daily lives.

    As the pandemic continues to disrupt lives, our country is also going through a period of civil unrest, which exacerbates existing mental, emotional, physical and financial health issues already felt by many families and communities. Along with our partners in health, education and foodservice, we understand disparities exist and that our most vulnerable populations—children, families, socioeconomically disadvantaged communities and communities of color—are more adversely impacted by the uncertain and unprecedented challenges we face. This is why all of us at Dairy Council of California are committed to listening, learning more and doing our part to help reduce and eliminate disparities that exist in the areas of nutrition education, food insecurity and food access to improve the health and health outcomes of all children, families and communities.

    Enclosed in this report is a summary of our successes and challenges in this past year. Dairy Council of California’s long-standing legacy of supporting community health through nutrition remains unwavering, and I am honored to lead the organization forward on behalf of California dairy farmers and processors. By leaning on our rich history and expertise as we embark on a new century, we can continue to innovate and expand our education outreach with new opportunities to elevate the health of children and families through the pursuit of lifelong healthy eating habits, which include milk and dairy foods.

    On behalf of all of us at Dairy Council of California, thank you for your ongoing support.

  • California Dairy Industry Improves Environmental Impact

    Milk is big business in California. It’s the agricultural product that brings in more farm revenue than any other in the state. It employs about 190,000 workers, and involves 1.78 million cows. Indeed, dairy has been important to California’s economy for decades, and over time innovations in animal husbandry, feeding and in growing crops that dairy cows eat have led to substantial changes in greenhouse gas emissions. Recently, Ermias Kebreab and his colleagues at the University of California, Davis, calculated exactly how much these emissions have changed in the 50 years from 1964 to 2014. Although the total emissions from the state’s dairy industry increased over that period, the state also produced much more milk, and the industry has become more efficient in terms of its emissions.

    As well as milk being important to California, California’s milk production is important to the US. The dairy industry has a long history in the state. It’s thought that the state’s export of cheese, for example, began in the year 1800, when a Russian commander called Ivan Kuskow sent produce from Sonoma to Russian settlements in Alaska. In the 25 years from 1975 to 2000, the state’s dairy industry boomed. California went from producing 9.4% to 19.2% of total US milk production, and overtook Wisconsin to become the state that produced more than any other. These days, about 40% of California’s milk leaves the state as different kinds of processed milk product, such as cheese, milk powder, butter, and whey.

    Assessing the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of this activity requires a lot of data about all of the inputs and outputs of dairy farming. It also requires fairly complex modelling. The research team pulled together data to describe each aspect of four processes—feed production, enteric methane, manure storage, and farm management—as part of a life-cycle assessment (LCA). These kinds of assessments sometimes only consider carbon footprints, but Kebreab and his colleagues opted instead for a more comprehensive analysis that included water and land use. They also opted to run two different LCA models to see how different the results were for different sets of assumptions in the modelling. The first model used primary data from five Californian dairy farms. The second used off-the-shelf numbers from the California Department of Food and Agriculture. Everything was inputted in tremendous detail. For example, separate dietary data were used for calves, heifers, pregnant heifers, close-up heifers, and lactating and dry cows in 1964, and further categories were added for the 2014 analysis.

    Overall, the GHG emissions for 2014 on average ranged between 1.12 and 1.16 kg of CO2e/kg of energy-corrected milk, depending on the specifics of the diet modelled. Energy-corrected milk is a standardized way of measuring milk produced, adjusted so that the milks across all cows and farms have the same fat (here, 4%) and protein (3.3%) content. In 1964, the GHG emissions were 2.11 kg of CO2e/kg of energy-corrected milk, so the GHG emissions per bottle of milk have reduced substantially. There have been improvements across the board. Emissions from enteric methane and manure have been cut in the process of producing a unit of milk, as have water use and land requirements. California’s dairy industry has fairly low emissions compared with the same industry elsewhere in the US.

    However, not every aspect of dairy farming has improved to the same extent. The team’s models revealed that methane from manure made up about 41% of the industry’s GHG emissions in 2014, compared with just less than a quarter (24.5%) of its emissions in 1964. The root cause of this appears to be the way that manure is commonly managed in the state. It is often stored in “lagoons” as opposed to in solid form, which means that the methane conversion factor from manure is higher than it could be.

    Reductions in water use—an important matter in a state that is prone to droughts—have been achieved through more careful farming of crops that comprise animal feed, as well as through genetic improvements that have led to sturdier crops that do not need as much watering. There have also been increased yields in these crops over the years. In turn, the greater yields have meant that the amount of land required to grow enough food to feed a cow for a year has come down.

    This assessment points to important successes. Yet it should be considered alongside the fact that the state’s dairy industry grew dramatically during the period studied. The number of dairy cows in California has more than doubled. Many Californians would probably agree that an industry that grows this much has a responsibility to keep asking how it could strive to further reduce its environmental footprint. The value of this study is that it brings answers to this question that farmers can take note of, and that industry organizations, and potentially the government, could take action to support. — By Anna Petherick, University of Oxford & International Milk Genomics Consortium

  • Dairy Margin Coverage Program Enrollment Now Open for 2021

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has begun accepting applications for the Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) program as of Tuesday, October 13, 2020 for 2021 enrollment.

    “This year has been a market roller coaster for the dairy industry, and the Dairy Margin Coverage program is a valuable tool dairy producers can use to manage risk,” said Bill Northey, USDA’s Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation, during a roundtable at a dairy in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. “We were excited to roll out this new and improved program through the 2018 Farm Bill, and if you haven’t enrolled in previous years, we highly encourage you to check it out.”

    Signup runs through Dec. 11, 2020. DMC is a voluntary risk management program that offers protection to dairy producers when the difference between the all-milk price and the average feed price (the margin) falls below a certain dollar amount selected by the producer. DMC payments triggered for seven months in 2019 and three months so far in 2020.  More than 23,000 operations enrolled in DMC in 2019, and more than 13,000 in 2020.

    Updated Dairy Decision Tool

    To determine the appropriate level of coverage for a specific dairy operation, producers can utilize the recently updated online dairy decision tool. The decision tool is designed to assist producers with calculating total premium costs and administrative fees associated with participation in DMC. An informational video is available, too.

    Improvements to the decision tool, made in cooperation with representatives from the University of Minnesota and University of Wisconsin, include historical analysis that illustrates what DMC indemnity payments might have been had the program been available over the previous two decades.  The analysis indicates that over the course of time, DMC payments made to producers exceed premiums paid. These decision tool enhancements provide a more comprehensive decision support experience for producers considering DMC.

    Additional Support for Dairy Producers 

    In addition to DMC, USDA offers a variety of programs that have helped dairy producers, including insurance, disaster assistance, and conservation programs. Most recently, the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 1 provided $1.75 billion in direct relief to dairy producers who faced price declines and additional marketing costs due to COVID-19 in early 2020. Now, signup is underway for the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 2, which provides another round of assistance for dairy producers and many other eligible producers.

    More Information 

    For more information, visit farmers.gov DMC webpage, or contact your local USDA Service Center. To locate your local FSA office, visit farmers.gov/service-center-locator.

    All USDA Service Centers are open for business, including some that are open to visitors to conduct business in person by appointment only. All Service Center visitors wishing to conduct business with the FSA, Natural Resources Conservation Service, or any other Service Center agency should call ahead and schedule an appointment. Service Centers that are open for appointments will pre-screen visitors based on health concerns or recent travel, and visitors must adhere to social distancing guidelines. Visitors are required to wear a face covering during their appointment. Field work will continue with appropriate social distancing. Our program delivery staff will be in the office, and they will be working with our producers in office, by phone, and using online tools. More information can be found at farmers.gov/coronavirus.

  • Milk Advisory Board Introduces “Day Can Wait” Creative Focused on Dairy for Breakfast

    The contrast between the pull of distractions that start in the early mornings with the satisfying and calming elements of enjoying California dairy for breakfast are brought to life in two new creative explorations in the California Milk Advisory Board’s (CMAB) Enter the Golden State campaign debuting this week. The :30 Day Can Wait segments – titled Video Conference and Emails – focus on the importance of taking a moment with family for breakfast, with California dairy, before the hustle, bustle (and technology) of the day begins.

    Produced by Deutsch LA, the spots graphically showcase the digital distractions that often start in the early mornings, from email notifications to ringing phones and video calls, compared with the satisfying and calming elements of enjoying California dairy for breakfast.
     
    “Despite breakfast being the most important meal of the day, it often gets lost in the rush of morning and all of our pending commitments. With more people working remotely, recent findings showcase that breakfast is back. With dairy at the heart of many breakfast items, Real California Milk continues to help families make mornings mean more with California milk and dairy foods,” said John Talbot, CEO of the CMAB.
     
    The ads, which debuted this week on digital and social, will roll out on regional television in November.  They are part of an overall focus on the value of California dairy at breakfast that kicked off during June Dairy Month with the #MorningsMeanMore social media campaign where family and lifestyle influencers posted content showcasing the positive aspects of stay-at-home orders, including time in the mornings to spend breakfast together. 
    During August and September, a back-to-school “Mornings Mean More” retail flashpoint was conducted with fluid milk in the spotlight. The California promotion included digital and in-store value offers, elevated product placement and promotion on key e-commerce and retailer websites, and targeted email communication for shoppers at Walmart, Smart & Final, Ralphs, Food 4 Less and Foods co. A “Holiday Mornings Mean More” retail flashpoint and social campaign in November/December will bring the message home with families celebrating time together and special family recipes at breakfast.
    California is the nation’s leading milk producer. It also produces more butter, ice cream and nonfat dry milk than any other state. The state is the second-largest producer of cheese and yogurt. California milk and dairy foods can be identified by the Real California Milk seal, which certifies they are made exclusively with milk from the state’s dairy farm families.
    About Real California Milk/California Milk Advisory Board
    The California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB), an instrumentality of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, is funded by the state’s dairy farm families who lead the nation in sustainable dairy farming practices. With a vision to nourish the world with the wholesome goodness of Real California Milk, the CMAB’s programs focus on increasing demand for California’s sustainable dairy products in the state, across the U.S. and around the world through advertising, public relations, research, and retail and foodservice promotional programs. For more information and to connect with the CMAB, visit RealCaliforniaMilk.com, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.

  • Looking To 2021, All Dairy Farmers Should Sign Up for DMC, NMPF Says

    With the ongoing COVID-19 crisis teaching hard lessons on risk management throughout agriculture, and with dairy margins expected to be volatile over the next year, the National Milk Producers Federation is urging farmers to sign up for maximum 2021 coverage under the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Dairy Margin Coverage program. DMC signup begins today.

    “The DMC emphatically proved its worth this year, as payouts rapidly reacted to unprecedented price plunges and protected farmers exactly when they most needed help,” said Jim Mulhern, president and CEO of NMPF. “Coronavirus-related volatility in dairy markets is expected to continue well into 2021, with DMC payments a possibility. That makes it essential that farmers include DMC coverage in the robust risk-management plans they will need to ensure financial stability.”

    DMC, the main risk-protection tool for dairy farmers enacted in the 2018 Farm Bill, is designed to promote stable revenues and protect against financial catastrophe on some or all of a farmer’s milk. Despite forecasts in late 2019 predicting that DMC assistance wouldn’t be needed by farmers in 2020, margins instead fell to their lowest levels in more than a decade in the first half of this year, triggering payments that undoubtedly kept many participating dairies afloat. And unlike difficult-to-predict federal disaster assistance that’s provided via specific legislation or administrative action, DMC coverage offers certainty in times of need, allowing for better financial planning and faster payment when necessary.

    DMC also offers:

    • Affordable higher coverage levels that permit all dairy producers to insure margins up to $9.50/cwt. on their Tier 1 (first five million pounds) production history. Recent margin trends in reference to that $9.50 threshold is included in the graphic below.
    • Affordable $5.00 coverage that offers meaningful catastrophic coverage for farms of all sizes.

    NMPF has a resource page on its website with more information about the DMC. 

  • U.S. Dairy Exports Show Sustained Growth to Top Global Markets

    Michael Dykes, D.V.M., President and CEO of the International Dairy Foods Association, issued the following statement today on the August 2020 agricultural export data released by the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service’s Global Agricultural Trade System:

    “U.S. dairy exports are posting positive gains in value and volume to markets around the world and are keeping pace with other animal product exports. U.S. dairy exports are up in 8 of our top 10 export markets by both value and volume over the same period in 2019. In August, U.S. dairy exports resumed their strong pace from earlier this year, increasing 14% by value since January over the same period last year. This sustained growth puts U.S. dairy exports this year more than $600 million ahead of the same period last year, with primary gains by value appearing in China, Canada, Vietnam, and Australia.

    “Meanwhile, volume is 12% higher over the same period last year with four of the top five markets showing growth over 2019, led by increased sales to China, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

    “IDFA and its members continue to see the value of new trade agreements. In markets where an agreement was recently completed, U.S. dairy exports have generally increased over the same period in 2019. For instance, exports of milk powder, whey, and natural milk proteins to China have all increased in August, pointing to accelerating purchases of U.S. agricultural goods by China under the Phase One trade agreement. Overall, U.S. dairy exports to China by volume have already exceeded the entirety of our dairy exports to China in 2019, while the value of U.S. dairy exports to China should soon surpass 2019 levels.

    “Similar to the growth we saw earlier in the summer, we also continue to see sustained expansion of U.S. dairy exports to Southeast Asia. While milk powders, lactose, and whey maintain their strong presence, cheeses are showing marked growth to Southeast Asia in the August data, in some cases growing twice as much or more as previous months.

    “Year to date, we are on track to break $6 billion in U.S. dairy exports this year. Volatility and uncertainty remain a factor in the dairy market and trade, but IDFA remains optimistic that with continued demand for dairy around the world, especially in Southeast Asia and China, this year will end on a high note. It’s an exciting time to be part of the U.S. dairy industry and IDFA and its members stand at the ready to take advantage of these global opportunities.”

    The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), Washington, D.C., represents the nation’s dairy manufacturing and marketing industry, which supports more than 3 million jobs that generate $159 billion in wages and $620 billion in overall economic impact. IDFA’s diverse membership ranges from multinational organizations to single-plant companies, from dairy companies and cooperatives to food retailers and suppliers, all on the cutting edge of innovation and sustainable business practices. Together, they represent 90 percent of the milk, cheese, ice cream, yogurt and cultured products, and dairy ingredients produced and marketed in the United States and sold throughout the world. Delicious, safe and nutritious, dairy foods offer unparalleled health and consumer benefits to people of all ages.