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In 2025, the volume and value of U.S. dairy exports reached their highest levels in three years, despite challenging market conditions. The U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) attributed this growth to strong international demand for cheese, surging interest in protein and competitive U.S. commodity pricing.
The volume of U.S. dairy exports grew by 4% year-over-year in milk solids equivalent (MSE), reaching 2.32 million metric tons (MT), the highest since the 2022 peak of 2.41 million MT. Export value also increased by 15% to $9.63 billion, just shy of the 2022 record of $9.66 billion.
Cheese stands out as a U.S. Dairy success story. In 2024, U.S. suppliers exported more than 1,000 MT of cheese to 37 countries. In 2025, sales grew in 32 of those markets, with 24 seeing double-digit growth. Notably, U.S. cheese exports exceeded 50,000 MT in eight out of twelve months – a milestone not previously reached in any single month. Declines in the other five countries were mostly due to external factors, such as tariffs in China and geopolitical instability in Venezuela.
U.S. butterfat exports hit a new high in 2025, surpassing 100,000 MT for the first time. Butter volume rose by 163%, while AMF and dairy spreads increased by 176%.
“The gains we saw in exports in 2025 show why international markets are critical to the health and vitality of U.S. dairy farmers, processors and other stakeholders,” says Krysta Harden, president and CEO of the U.S. Dairy Export Council. “These are challenging times for U.S. dairy farmers, but they would be untenable without the export progress we’ve made as an industry – and the growth we continue to generate – in markets beyond U.S. borders.”