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July 21, 2026
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As reported by the Wisconsin Agriculturist–and as supported by my good friend Cory Geiger, lead dairy economist at CoBank–the beef-on-dairy opportunity (amid declining beef supplies) has catapulted the domestic dairy herd to its highest numbers in the last three decades.
According to the piece authored by Mindy Ward, the herd is at 9.665 million head, the highest head count since 1992. And although the beef-on-dairy opportunity is driving the herd growth, the dairy markets are adjusting to the concomitant increase in milk production through product diversification and growth in dairy exports--particularly butter and cheese. As dairy producers know, butterfat is the fastest growing milk component on domestic dairy farms.
The growth in cheese and butter exports is truly remarkable, but it must be complimented by a stable domestic market, which still dominates as a percentage of overall market sales (~80%). Domestically, families continue to rely on dairy as a healthy source of protein.
"All those cows produce a lot of milk. 'The industry must find more homes for this burgeoning milk supply,' Geiger explained. Where will it go? The answer is overseas."
www.farmprogress.com/...
