# Record dairy exports in December - Dairy Star

> US dairy exports hit a record December volume of 527.1 million pounds, 8.5 percent above the prior high. Cheese exports set a December record of 119.3 million pounds, and butter shipments rose 261 percent from a year earlier. USDA also trimmed its 2026 dairy herd forecast while raising its milk-per-cow estimate.

- Date: 2026-02-28 · published 2026-02-28T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: trade · region US · magnitude medium
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/4600-record-dairy-exports-in-december-dairy-star
- Commodities: [Milk (Class III)](https://feedsoft.ai/c/MILK.md)

## Why it matters

Strong export demand for cheese and butter helps absorb US output and supports domestic dairy prices. A smaller herd forecast combined with higher milk per cow leaves total milk supply broadly unchanged.

## Read by commodity

- MILK: bullish ▲

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| MILK | 2025-11-26 | [State of the Dairy Industry: Cheese, butter “rockin’ out” with record exports \| Dairy Foods](https://feedsoft.ai/events/21957-state-of-the-dairy-industry-cheese-butter-rockin-out-with-record-exports-dairy.md) | -8.1% | -8.3% |
| MILK | 2025-01-01 | [US dairy exports are approaching record levels due to consumer demand for dairy products in Mexico](https://feedsoft.ai/events/6085-us-dairy-exports-are-approaching-record-levels-due-to-consumer-demand-for-dairy.md) | +8.9% | +8.8% |
| MILK | 2019-09-12 | [September 12, 2019: Dairy Week in Review \| Center for Dairy Excellence](https://feedsoft.ai/events/57232-september-12-2019-dairy-week-in-review-center-for-dairy-excellence.md) | -0.2% | +2.3% |
| MILK | 2017-03-06 | [Dairy exports finish 2016 on high note](https://feedsoft.ai/events/72006-dairy-exports-finish-2016-on-high-note.md) | -1.3% | -0.7% |
| MILK | 2021-03-26 | [Odd Conditions Reign Over Export, Dairy, Grain Markets - EDairy News English](https://feedsoft.ai/events/48123-odd-conditions-reign-over-export-dairy-grain-markets-edairy-news-english.md) | +8.1% | +9.0% |

## Sources

- dairystar.com: https://dairystar.com/stories/record-dairy-exports-in-december,30710

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