Tanner Ehmke, a dairy economist for CoBank, discussed the current state of the dairy industry at the 2022 World Dairy Expo. He highlighted the industry's record high milk prices in 2022 but noted that rising production costs and moderating milk prices in 2023 may lead to margin compression. Ehmke suggested that farmers can mitigate this by reducing costs and increasing efficiency.
Ehmke also noted the US dairy industry's resilience, with milk growth in 2022, driven by higher cow numbers and productivity. He discussed the trend of dairy farmers moving to areas with lower costs, which is being mirrored by cheese plants opening in these regions. Finally, Ehmke discussed the export market, mentioning concerns about the global economy and specific issues in China and Europe. Despite these concerns, he noted that the US dairy exports remain affordable compared to Western Europe and that the industry's relationship with key export markets is expected to remain strong.