# Benchmark drops $1.81 | TheFencePost.com

> USDA set the July 2022 Federal order Class III benchmark at $22.52 per hundredweight, down $1.81 from June but $6.03 above July 2021. It is the lowest Class III price since March. Class III futures pointed to August around $20.02 and a 2022 average near $21.68.

- Date: 2022-08-12 · published 2022-08-12T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: report · region US · magnitude low
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/40201-benchmark-drops-1-81-thefencepost-com
- Commodities: [Milk (Class III)](https://feedsoft.ai/c/MILK.md)

## Why it matters

The lower Class III benchmark signals softer demand for milk used in cheese, which reduces the price support for dairy-based feed inputs. Futures suggest further easing through the rest of the year.

## Read by commodity

- MILK: bearish ▼

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| MILK | 2022-09-09 | [Benchmark drops $2.42 \| TheFencePost.com](https://feedsoft.ai/events/39723-benchmark-drops-2-42-thefencepost-com.md) | +0.2% | +11.7% |
| MILK | 2025-11-19 | [Benchmark drops 68 cents \| TheFencePost.com](https://feedsoft.ai/events/22109-benchmark-drops-68-cents-thefencepost-com.md) | -0.2% | -8.1% |
| MILK | 2018-12-14 | [Benchmark milk price drops $1.09 \| TheFencePost.com](https://feedsoft.ai/events/61716-benchmark-milk-price-drops-1-09-thefencepost-com.md) | +0.5% | +2.2% |
| MILK | 2023-03-10 | [Benchmark Drops $1.65 By Lee Mielke \| TheFencePost.com](https://feedsoft.ai/events/37017-benchmark-drops-1-65-by-lee-mielke-thefencepost-com.md) | +1.4% | +5.2% |
| MILK | 2025-12-15 | [Benchmark creeps up 27 cents \| TheFencePost.com](https://feedsoft.ai/events/21663-benchmark-creeps-up-27-cents-thefencepost-com.md) | -0.8% | -7.0% |

## Sources

- thefencepost.com: https://www.thefencepost.com/news/benchmark-drops-1-81/

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Data from Feedsoft AI (https://feedsoft.ai/). For information only; not investment advice.