# Dry whey sales are important to dairy farm prices in the US

> Rabobank economist Mary Ledman says China remains an important buyer of U.S. dry whey, and each one-cent change in the whey price moves Class III milk by six cents. China has expanded milk output but not cheese production, so its whey import needs have had less effect on the U.S. than on New Zealand.

- Date: 2024-07-31 · published 2024-07-31T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: trade · region China · magnitude low
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/6831-dry-whey-sales-are-important-to-dairy-farm-prices-in-the-us
- Commodities: [Milk (Class III)](https://feedsoft.ai/c/MILK.md)

## Why it matters

Changes in Chinese whey demand flow through to U.S. Class III milk prices, so trade shifts can move farm milk returns.

## Read by commodity

- MILK: neutral

## Linked price moves

| Commodity | Date | Window | Change % | z-score | Why linked |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| MILK | 2024-07-30 | 1 | +3.5% | 4.9 | Whey price changes feed directly into Class III (1 cent whey moves Class III by 6 cents), so the whey rally amplified the Class III jump, though the article is general background. |

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| MILK | 2025-09-02 | [Cheese Trade Volatility Influencing Milk Prices - Mid-West Farm Report](https://feedsoft.ai/events/23049-cheese-trade-volatility-influencing-milk-prices-mid-west-farm-report.md) | +2.3% | +1.8% |
| MILK | 2025-02-21 | [The Farmer's Exchange Online For Now, U.S. Dairy Products Escape Countertariffs](https://feedsoft.ai/events/26038-the-farmer-s-exchange-online-for-now-u-s-dairy-products-escape-countertariffs.md) | -0.5% | -8.8% |
| MILK | 2025-02-28 | [Tariffs to Artificial Intelligence, Dairy Market Faces a Number of Uncertainties](https://feedsoft.ai/events/26206-tariffs-to-artificial-intelligence-dairy-market-faces-a-number-of-uncertainties.md) | -9.5% | -7.7% |
| MILK | 2018-11-05 | ['Robust' demand, here and abroad, bode well for milk prices \| Farm \| leadertelegram.com](https://feedsoft.ai/events/62056-robust-demand-here-and-abroad-bode-well-for-milk-prices-farm-leadertelegram-com.md) | -2.2% | -2.1% |
| MILK | 2020-08-27 | [Exports pull down dairy stocks \| Capital Press](https://feedsoft.ai/events/51634-exports-pull-down-dairy-stocks-capital-press.md) | -15.1% | -16.7% |

## Sources

- brownfieldagnews.com: https://www.brownfieldagnews.com/news/dry-whey-sales-important-to-dairy-farm-prices/
- tridge.com: https://www.tridge.com/news/dry-whey-sales-important-to-dairy-farm-price-umghdk

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