US: dairy product production sees the greatest shift in dry milk

The USDA reports that dairy product numbers for December increased mostly, with a notable exception in skim milk powder production which experienced a significant decline. Total cheese production surpassed 1.1 billion pounds, marking a nearly 3% increase from the previous month and a slight over half of 1% rise from the year before. Both Italian and American cheese production saw upward trends. Butter production also rose, by nearly 19% from the previous month and 12% year-over-year. However, nonfat dry milk and skim milk powder saw contrasting trends, with the latter down by nearly 37% from 2019 and the former up over 24%. Dry whey production decreased by over 2%, while lactose production increased by more than 3% from the previous year.