Inside Milk
Is milk supply tightening in the United States?
Milk production in the United States has so far been at a very high level throughout the year. Monthly productions of last year were amply exceeded. However, completely different figures were achieved for September.
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Livestock farmers in the United States produced 7.847.150 tons of milk in September. Although that is still a small plus of 0,4% compared to last year, these growth figures are nothing compared to those of the previous months. While the growth in August was already more modest at 0,7%, milk supplies in the preceding months were between 2% and 5% higher than last year. These growth figures therefore seem to be a thing of the past for the time being. This is all evidenced by the most recent milk production figures from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Growth relative to multi-year average
The 7.847.150 tons of milk delivered is still substantial in absolute volume. Never before has so much milk been delivered to the factories in September. The 5-year average of US milk supply for September is 7.623.620 million tons. This year's supply is therefore 3% above the 5-year average level for this month.
Ministry of Agriculture: Consumption is still growing
Recently released figures from the USDA show that consumption of dairy products is still on the rise. It turns out that, despite all the corona vicissitudes last year, Americans consumed almost 0,5% more dairy than in 2019. Butter and ice cream in particular were more popular again, according to the ministry. The consumption of dairy products was stable from 2016 to 2018. In 2019 it picked up again for the first time and this trend has therefore continued in 2020.