WASHINGTON, D.C. (RFD NEWS) — U.S. milk production increased in 2025, but lower prices pulled cash receipts and producer returns below the previous year. USDA’s annual summary said the industry produced more milk with more cows and better output per cow, even as revenue weakened.
Milk production totaled 232 billion pounds in 2025, up 2.6 percent from 2024. Production per cow averaged 24,390 pounds, up 218 pounds, while the average number of milk cows on farms rose by 153,000 head to 9.50 million.
Marketings also moved higher. USDA said milk marketings reached 231 billion pounds, up 2.6 percent from the year before. That means more milk was moving into commercial channels even as price pressure built on the income side.
Cash receipts from milk marketings totaled $48.9 billion, down 3.7 percent from 2024. Producer returns averaged $21.19 per hundredweight, which was 6.1 percent below the previous year.
The annual report leaves dairy producers with a mixed picture. Output and herd size expanded, but weaker prices kept income from rising with production.
Farm-Level Takeaway: Dairy producers made more milk in 2025, but softer prices trimmed returns and cash receipts.
Tony St. James, RFD News Markets Specialist
USDA released the November WASDE Report on Friday, the first supply-and-demand estimate to drop since September, just before the 43-day government shutdown.
November 14, 2025 12:22 PM
·
U.S. Trade officials announced new deals with El Salvador, Guatemala, Ecuador, and Argentina, as well as a steep reduction in tariffs on Swiss imports.
November 14, 2025 11:58 AM
·
Learn the conditions farmers must meet to qualify for this new three-year tax deferral on farmland sales, how much it could save, and other details to consider.
November 13, 2025 01:57 PM
·
Some sustainability shifts are not particularly challenging and can be implemented with resources already available to farmers and ranchers on their operations.
November 13, 2025 01:00 PM
·
FD-TV’s own Tammi Arender caught up with Gregg Doud, President and CEO of the National Milk Producers Federation.
November 13, 2025 12:05 PM
·
Jeramy Stephens with National Land Realty shares tips for fall and winter to guide landowners and farmers.
November 12, 2025 03:40 PM
·
