Milk: We Help Make It Happen
All 50 States have dairy farms and produce milk. California tops the list in production and “America’s Dairyland” of Wisconsin is No. 2. Yet Ohio and neighboring states produce more than a fifth of the nation’s milk and dairy products.
Dairy products include fluid beverage milk, cheese, butter, ice cream, yogurt, dry milk products, condensed milk, and whey products — along with a new selection of “sports” and “energy” dairy beverages. And there’s good old chocolate milk!
Almost all of our dairy farms remain family owned and managed. And although the economics of scale continue to make dairy farms fewer and larger, the rise in specialty markets like organic milk and artisan cheese provide new opportunities for smaller dairy operations.
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Has the U.S. seen increasing dairy product exports to Mexico, Southeast Asia countries, and China?
High demand, but dynamic
Dairy products provide a traditional source of valuable dietary protein, energy, vitamins, and other essential nutrients. Some dairy products also are high-demand “comfort foods” — especially ice cream, cheese, and yoghurt — which saw a jump in consumption during the pandemic. Also, dairy product exports are at record levels, with export value up 7% year-over-year to reach $565.5 million. Recent growth is due to nonfat dry milk-skim milk powder going to Mexico and Southeast Asia and whey products going to China.
Despite dairy consumer product growth overall, today there is less demand for fluid milk. Plant-based “milk” — the largest plant-based food category — is cutting into fluid milk consumption and now has $2.5 billion in domestic sales. This category — which includes soy, oat, almond, and other plant-based beverages — is growing at 20% or more in dollar sales, at least twice as fast as real dairy products.
Customers of our customers
Dairy farmers — who are the customers of our customers — are among the most skilled, diligent, and responsible farmers in the world. Cow milk production varies by day, week, and season because of changes in weather, feed sources, and many other factors.
When it comes to fresh fluid milk, there’s only 48 hours from the farm to the supermarket cooler. That leaves no time for a typical product recall, so dairy producers and their suppliers must follow stringent feed quality and animal health, feeding, and food safety protocols — all the time, every time.
How do we help the dairy industry?
First and foremost, we help the cow!
The cow is a ruminant with four digestive organs (rumen, reticulum, omasum, abomasum) that process feedstuffs in stages starting in the rumen. The rumen contains bacteria, protozoa, and fungi that allow the cow to convert forages like grass, hay, and silage into energy and protein components. A good number of the 750-plus products we offer help keep the cow healthy and make her more efficient at converting feed into milk.
Our branded products — SynTech RGI, Ion Pak, Ion Plus, Cidify — work in proven, natural ways to support dairy cow and calf health, productivity, and efficiency.
By helping the cows and their calves, we help thousands of dairy producers. Our quality products are sold to their feed suppliers or supplied through our vendor partners.
D&D also helps sponsor numerous scientific and technical conferences and trade shows that benefit the dairy industry.
We also work with consulting dairy nutritionists and others who advise dairy producers. Our Dairy Knowledge X-Change program is a unique resource for these consultants, where leading experts provide practical, proactive solutions to dairy nutrition, health, and management challenges.
More “Did You Know?”
Thanks for your interest! Please let us know other topics you’d like to learn about. Email claytong@ddingredient.com