Key events in milk production, cheese exports and more

Culled from speaker’s remarks and slides presented at the Global Dairy Summit at World Dairy Expo, the following are a few significant events and milestones from the dairy industry.

1992: First year to exceed $500 million in global dairy exports.

1995: US Dairy Export Council (USDEC) originated as a nonprofit, pro-trade membership organization with a long-range vision for a more global future. USDEC’s mission: “to enrich the well-being of people, communities and the planet.”

2003: First year to exceed $1 billion in global dairy exports.

2010: The non-dairy milk trend began to gain momentum, though non-dairy milks have been around for centuries.

2011: Between 2011-2019, 11% of new cheese production was exported.

2014: In the last decade, U.S. milk production grew 10% but most of the growth emanated from a small number of areas.

2018: Healthy Fluid Milk Incentives, a SNAP program, was authorized in the 2018 Farm Bill.

2019: Twenty-four percent of new cheese production is exported.

2020s: Significant growth in protein-fortified foods.

2022: China is the No. 1 importer of milk to the tune of more than $6.1 billion dollars, the highest import value in the world.

2023: Nine in 10 consumers say sustainability is “very” or “somewhat important.” Additionally, 75% of millennial consumers consider sustainability when they make a purchase. Consumers trust farmers when it comes to understanding environmental issues.

2024: At the Global Dairy Summit in Madison, dairy experts suggest that the future of U.S. Dairy is in exports. New Zealand, the largest milk exporter in the world, had an export value of $6.8 billion in 2023-2024. The top milk exporting countries are New Zealand, Germany, the United States, the Netherlands, and Belgium.