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Briefing Rooms

Dairy: Recommended Readings

Contents
 

Livestock, Dairy and Poultry Outlook provides key dairy data, market outlook, and forecasts; issued each month.

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.

Retail and Consumer Aspects of the Organic Milk Market analyzes retail scanner data from 2004 and finds that most purchasers of organic milk are White, high income, and well educated. Consumer interest in organic milk has burgeoned, resulting in rapid growth in retail sales of organic milk. Most organic milk is sold in supermarkets, and organic price premiums are large and vary by region.

Impacts of Trade Liberalization on the U.S. Dairy Market reviews the economic effects of trade liberalization in world dairy markets by examining effects on farm milk prices and production, producer and consumer surpluses, and government revenues and program expenditures. The empirical analysis suggests multilateral trade liberalization leads to generally modest price and production impacts on U.S. milk producers.

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.

Trade Liberalization in International Dairy Markets: Estimated Impacts examines issues related to modeling complex policy regimes that affect international dairy markets. Average bound tariffs for dairy remain among the highest of all agricultural commodities and dairy trade is characterized by a large number of megatariffs and tariff-rate quotas (TRQs). Modeling results indicate that liberalization would reduce world dairy product supplies and increase the value of dairy trade.

U. S. Dairy at a New Crossroads in a Global Setting highlights changing economic and policy forces facing the U.S. dairy industry today. As dairy markets evolve, U.S. milk producers and processors are in a position to pursue both domestic and export market opportunities. For the full report, see U.S. Dairy at a Global Crossroads.

Dairy Policies in Japan provides a detailed description and analysis of Japans policies that support its milk producers and regulate dairy markets. If Japans policies were liberalized, prices and production in Japan would fall, but sizable milk production would remain.

Disease-Related Trade Restrictions Shaped Animal Product Markets in 2004 and Stamp Imprints on 2005 Forecasts reports that disease outbreaks and related trade restrictions continue to influence markets. U.S. cattle and beef markets were most affected in 2004. Pork, dairy, and lamb markets did not face any direct disease issues but both U.S. and international outbreaks of Avian Influenza buffeted poultry markets.

Contracts, Markets, and Prices: Organizing the Production and Use of Agricultural Commodities reports that contracts are now the primary method of handling sales of many livestock commodities, including milk, hogs, and broilers, and of major crops such as sugar beets, fruit, and processing tomatoes. Production and marketing contracts governed 36 percent of the value of U.S. agricultural production in 2001, up from 12 percent in 1969.

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.)

Current World Production, Market, and Trade Reports provide information and data on world markets and trade for dairy, livestock, and poultry.

Effects of U.S. Dairy Policies on Markets for Milk and Dairy Products examines the economic effects of the principal current dairy sector programs. The analytical results address the economic impacts of Federal milk marketing orders, direct payments to producers, price supports, and export programs.

Monthly Milk Cost of Production Estimates are available starting from January 2003. Congress included language in USDA's fiscal year (FY) 2003 appropriation that strongly urged USDA to make available monthly milk costs of production (COP) in various areas of the United States. To comply with this request, ERS has begun reporting monthly milk COP by State, where sufficient data support a State estimate.

Characteristics and Production Costs of U.S. Dairy Operations presents findings from the 2000 Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS), the most recent national survey of milk producers. Milk producers in the West had a significant cost advantage over producers in other regions in 2000 because their operations were much larger. Operations with 500 or more milk cows had significantly lower total operating and ownership costs, indicative of the economies of size experienced by larger operations.

Manure Management for Water Quality evaluates the costs of spreading manure on cropland at the farm, regional, and national levels. EPA regulations enacted in February 2003 require concentrated animal feeding operations (generally the largest producers of hogs, chicken, dairy, and beef cattle) to meet nutrient application standards when spreading their manure on cropland in order to preserve water resources from nitrogen and phosphorus runoff. USDA is encouraging all animal feeding operations to do the same. If all operations meet the new standards, increases in production costs could be felt throughout the food and agricultural system.

The Changing Landscape of U.S. Milk Production illustrates how milk production has changed in the United States since 1975. Questions of how much milk is produced, where it is produced, and by whom it is produced are important both nationally and regionally. Dairy farms continue to grow, become more specialized, and, in some regions, more concentrated. But small traditional dairy farms also remain part of the industry. Link here to download Excel spreadsheets with data supporting various charts and figures in the report.

Milk Pricing in the United States provides a primer on the U.S. milk market, cutting through the complexities to describe key pricing mechanisms and to provide a basis for more detailed study. Farm milk prices in the United States are determined by public and private pricing institutions whose interactions have become complex.

The Changing Structure of Dairy Markets: Past, Present, Future indicates that the markets for fluid milk and manufactured dairy products have changed dramatically since the 1970's. Companies selling most or all types of dairy products have given way to companies or subsidiaries selling one or two. Large proprietary and cooperative firms, both U.S. and foreign-owned, are major participants in U.S. dairy markets. This report discusses how dairy markets reached their current state and implications for the future.

Large Companies Active in Changing Dairy Industry looks at concentration in the U.S. industry and its effects.

U.S. Dairy Product Markets Restructuring describes fluid milk, cheese, butter, frozen products, and dry milk markets, their evolution, and their likely future.

Federal Milk Marketing Orders: Consolidation and Reform describes changes in the Federal milk marketing order system in the United States called for by the 1996 Farm Act.

Price Volatility in the Dairy Industry and It's Causes indicates that dairy product price volatility has been a more prominent issue in the dairy industry since the 1996 Farm Act went into effect. But, volatility is not really a "new" issue. This paper examines some of the causes of volatility in the dairy industry.

International Dairy Markets and the WTO (page 7 of Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Situation and Outlook) discusses changes in international dairy markets, effects of the Uruguay Round on dairy markets, and pending dairy issues as new negotiations begin. The article stresses issues for improving trade for all participants, not just for the United States.

 

For more information, contact: Roger Hoskin

Web administration: webadmin@ers.usda.gov

Updated date: September 10, 2007