Discover how March saw a surge in dairy product production, with cheese and butter leading the way. Curious about the top cheese-producing states? Find out here.
Got a hankering for a cheesy treat or maybe a scoop of sherbet? You’re in luck! March cheese and frozen dairy product production have seen a rise, according to reports from the National Ag Statistics Service. There’s plenty of dairy delight to go around, though there are a few exceptions to the trend, such as dairy powders.
Cheese, Butter, and More
Total cheese output saw an encouraging uplift, with a rise of 7.6% over February and a slim increase of one-tenth of a percent above March of 2023. It boils down to two styles of cheese lighting the way. Italian style cheese production had an 8.6% increase from February and marked a 4.4% uptick in comparison with the numbers a year ago. An impressive 518 million pounds of Italian style cheese were produced.
As for American style cheese, it saw a 10% surge compared to February BUT it spiraled 2.9% below last year’s March production, finishing at 491 million pounds. On the buttery side of things, production was up 5.5% from February and sat at 1.4% higher than this time last year – all totaling a creamy 209 million pounds.
“Wisconsin led the nation in Italian-type cheese production during March with 145.4 million pounds followed closely by California. Yet, when it came to Mozzarella cheese, California took the lead with 134 million pounds.”
Cheddar cheese production, however, was dominated by Wisconsin, as they churned out over 60.4 million pounds in March.
Protein Boost
As compared to last year, dry whey production rose 3.4%, whey protein concentrate production grew by 2.6%. Lactose production saw a modest boost, with a slight rise.
Frozen Treats
Switching gears to frozen delights, most frozen dairy product production was up in March. Hard ice cream production climbed by 1.4%, amounting to 66.1 million gallons. Sherbet production also hiked up slightly by 1.3%, reaching 1.88 million gallons. Even fans of frozen yogurt were in for a treat, with a modest increase of a tenth of a percent to 3.71 million gallons.
However, lovers of low-fat ice cream might have been left a bit out in the cold as its production dipped by 12.8% to 37.7 million gallons.
Overall, March was a month of growth for the dairy industry, despite a couple of exceptions. So, the next time you reach for your favorite dairy treat, remember, there’s a lot that goes into that delicious bite, scoop, or slice!
