Overview
Milk has a farm value of production second only to beef
among livestock industries and equal to corn. Dairy farms,
overwhelmingly family-owned and managed regardless of
size, are generally members of producer cooperatives.
Dairy products range from cheese, fluid milks, yogurt,
butter, and ice cream to dry or condensed milk and whey
products, used mostly as ingredients in processed foods.
Cheese and fluid milk products now use most of the milk
supply.
Government traditionally has regulated both sanitary
and market aspects of the dairy industry. International
trade of dairy products has only occasionally been important
for the relatively isolated U.S. industry.
ERS provides research and analysis on milk production;
the marketing and consumption of dairy products; international
dairy trade; and government programs.
Features
2008 Farm Bill Side-By-Side
presents a title-by-title summary of key provisions of
the 2008 Act in a side-by-side comparison with previous
legislation. The side-by-side includes links to related
ERS publications and to analyses of previous farm acts.
New features include a user's guide, an A-Z list of major
provisions, and a search function.
Dairy
Backgrounder reports that shifts over time in consumer
demands, the location and structure of milk production,
industry concentration, international markets, and trade
agreements have dramatically altered the U.S. dairy industry
and changed the context for dairy policies and the sector
as a whole. In the future, the U.S. dairy industry is
likely to become more fully integrated with international
markets.
Recommended Readings
Current
World Production, Market, and Trade Reports provide
information and data on world markets and trade for dairy,
livestock, and poultry.
Economic
Effects of U.S. Dairy Policy and Alternative Approaches
to Milk Pricing shows that the effects of dairy programs
on markets are modest and that current dairy programs
are limited in their ability to change the longterm economic
viability of dairy farms. Other forces—technology,
changing consumer demand, and changes in the marketing
and processing sectors—while difficult to measure,
are likely to have more impact. (This file is 1.5 MB in
size and may take time to download.)
Low
Costs Drive Production to Large Dairy Farms reports
that average production costs per hundredweight of milk
produced fall sharply with herd size. Large dairy farms
earn substantial profits, while most smaller operations
experience economic losses. Given the cost advantages,
the shift of dairy production to large farms contributes
to rising industry productivity and lower real dairy prices.
For the full report, see Profits,
Costs, and the Changing Structure of Dairy Farming.
See all recommended readings...
Recommended Data Products
Most recent
tables from Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Outlook
in Excel format.
Dairy
Yearbook presents annual data on production, supply,
use of milk and manufactured dairy products; also includes
wholesale and retail price indexes, prices received by
farmers, milk production costs, and regional shares of
U.S. milk production.
Newsletter
Livestock, Dairy and Poultry
Outlook provides key dairy data, market outlook, and
forecasts; issued each month.
Related Briefing Rooms
Animal Production
and Marketing Issues
Agricultural Baseline Projections
Farm Income and Costs
Farm Structure
Farm and Commodity Policy
U.S. Agricultural Ttrade
Related Links
Agricultural
Marketing Service. Information on Federal milk marketing
orders, grading, dairy market news, marketing and economic
research, promotion and research, standardization, and
Federal rulemaking.
National Agricultural
Statistics Service. Historical data, publications,
and the 2002 Census of Agriculture.
World Agricultural
Outlook Board. World Agricultural Supply and Demand
Estimates (WASDE) reports and Agricultural Outlook
Forum speeches.
See all related links...
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