Industry News

Almost immediately after Progressive Dairy put together its State of Dairy editorial package in February 2020 (and probably even before the magazine made it to your mailbox in March of last year), the COVID-19 pandemic rendered much of that report outdated.

Driven by the change in at-home versus away-from-home eating habits, dairy sales through grocery stores and other retail outlets showed significant volume and value growth in 2020.

The U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) cites three noteworthy achievements in 2020:

• Export volume (on a milk solids equivalent basis) hit a record high of 2.1 million metric tons (MT).

Numbers contained in several USDA reports reflect some changing on-farm management practices and decisions.

Restaurants, an important food service outlet for dairy product sales, were hit hard during the pandemic and have a long climb back to pre-coronavirus business and employment levels.

With prices falling drastically since the start of the year, Idaho dairy producers are apprehensive entering February 2021, according to Rick Naerebout, chief executive officer of the Idaho Dairymen’s Association (IDA). Chief among concerns, processing capacity has reached its limit in the state, while there’s anticipation of increased environmental regulations surrounding climate policy and greenhouse gas emissions.