# Dairy Herd Grows; Milk Output Rises 2.6% | Wisevoter

> The US dairy cow herd grew by 167,000 head year over year in October 2026, and October milk production rose 2.6% from a year earlier. The herd also added 15,000 head from September, and nonfat dry milk prices had nearly doubled in early 2026.

- Date: 2026-11-12 · published 2026-11-13T03:09:30.675Z
- Category: report · region US · magnitude low
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/97036-dairy-herd-grows-milk-output-rises-2-6-wisevoter
- Commodities: [Milk (Class III)](https://feedsoft.ai/c/MILK.md), [Nonfat Dry Milk](https://feedsoft.ai/c/NFDM.md)

## Why it matters

A larger herd and higher output add dairy supply, which may restrain milk and dairy product prices, though higher feed costs are expected to slow further herd growth.

## Read by commodity

- MILK: bearish ▼
- NFDM: bearish ▼

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| MILK | 2024-12-10 | [Global Dairy Market Navigates Tight Butterfat & Rising Milk Output](https://feedsoft.ai/events/26971-global-dairy-market-navigates-tight-butterfat-and-rising-milk-output.md) | -0.7% | +7.9% |
| MILK | 2025-10-06 | [USDA raises milk output forecast for 2025 and 2026
						 \| The Dairy Site](https://feedsoft.ai/events/22411-usda-raises-milk-output-forecast-for-2025-and-2026-the-dairy-site.md) | -1.7% | -1.7% |
| MILK | 2026-07-20 | [USDA Dairy Outlook: Milk Production Grows While Prices Ease](https://feedsoft.ai/events/18530-usda-dairy-outlook-milk-production-grows-while-prices-ease.md) | +0.3% | +5.1% |
| MILK | 2026-08-22 | [Larger Dairy Herd Shapes U.S. Milk Price Outlook Into 2027](https://feedsoft.ai/events/18030-larger-dairy-herd-shapes-u-s-milk-price-outlook-into-2027.md) | +0.1% | -2.9% |
| MILK | 2025-11-26 | [US Milk Output Surges 4% As Herd Hits 31-Year High - EDairy News English](https://feedsoft.ai/events/21960-us-milk-output-surges-4-as-herd-hits-31-year-high-edairy-news-english.md) | -8.1% | -8.3% |

## Sources

- wisevoter.com: https://wisevoter.com/world/us/2026/11/12/us-dairy-herd-grows-milk-production-rises

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