# Daily Livestock Report: Dairy Herd Expansion Continues Despite Higher Feed Costs

> USDA data showed the US dairy cow herd rose 15,000 head in October to 0.2% above September and 1.7% above a year earlier. October milk production was up 2.6% from a year earlier, and alfalfa hay averaged $205 per ton in summer 2026 versus $173 a year earlier.

- Date: 2026-11-12 · published 2026-11-13T00:09:07.306Z
- Category: report · region US · magnitude medium
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/96603-daily-livestock-report-dairy-herd-expansion-continues-despite-higher-feed-costs
- Commodities: [Milk (Class III)](https://feedsoft.ai/c/MILK.md), [Alfalfa Hay](https://feedsoft.ai/c/ALFALFA.md), [Nonfat Dry Milk](https://feedsoft.ai/c/NFDM.md)

## Why it matters

A growing dairy herd and higher milk output add supply pressure on milk and dairy products, while higher alfalfa costs raise feed expenses for dairy producers and can support demand for alternative forage and feed ingredients.

## Read by commodity

- MILK: bearish ▼
- NFDM: neutral
- ALFALFA: bullish ▲

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| MILK | 2021-06-25 | [As Higher Milk Production Forecasts Settle In, Can Export Demand Help Save Prices? - Dairy Herd](https://feedsoft.ai/events/46748-as-higher-milk-production-forecasts-settle-in-can-export-demand-help-save.md) | -2.6% | -3.6% |
| MILK | 2023-12-07 | [Monthly dairy products report shows mostly higher cheese production \| The Mighty 790 KFGO \| KFGO](https://feedsoft.ai/events/32706-monthly-dairy-products-report-shows-mostly-higher-cheese-production-the-mighty.md) | -0.7% | -7.4% |
| MILK | 2022-11-22 | [Cold Storage Report Causes Milk Prices to Drop - Dairy Herd](https://feedsoft.ai/events/38707-cold-storage-report-causes-milk-prices-to-drop-dairy-herd.md) | -5.7% | -2.1% |
| MILK | 2026-09-29 | [Dairy markets face downward pressure \| Livestock \| farmweeknow.com](https://feedsoft.ai/events/5027-dairy-markets-face-downward-pressure-livestock-farmweeknow-com.md) | -6.6% | -5.3% |
| MILK | 2026-01-16 | [USDA Hikes 2026 Milk Production Forecast; Dairy Product Price Forecasts Mixed - Cheese Reporter](https://feedsoft.ai/events/21068-usda-hikes-2026-milk-production-forecast-dairy-product-price-forecasts-mixed.md) | -0.3% | +2.2% |

## Sources

- meatingplace.com: https://meatingplace.com/daily-livestock-report-dairy-herd-expansion-continues-despite-higher-feed-costs/

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