Episode
E573 June Dairy Month Turns 89 — and Farmers Now Keep Just 25¢ of Every Dairy Dollar
- Podcast
- The Bullvine Daily Brief
- Published
- Jun 1, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 2009
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- https://rss.com/podcasts/the-bullvine/2875827
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Summary
Of the $3.98 you pay for a gallon of milk, the farm keeps about $1.97. Once it becomes cheese or ice cream, your cut of the dairy basket drops to 25 cents on the dollar. The Bullvine Podcast breaks down USDA's farm-share numbers and the gap nobody puts on the June Dairy Month banner: fluid milk returns about half the retail price to the farm, but the total dairy basket sat at just 25% in 2024. We trace where the rest goes, why the celebration started as a 1937 surplus dump, and why a Wisconsin law firm is now targeting your 15-cent checkoff. What You'll Learn Why a $3.98 retail gallon only sends $1.97 back to your tank How to run your own farm-share math before the next co-op meeting Why fluid milk's checkoff return of $1.63 per dollar lags cheese and butter What the Wisconsin checkoff lawsuit could mean for your 15 cents Why your processor's product mix, not the national average, sets your real exposure This isn't a grievance — it's USDA Economic Research Service data. Fluid milk's farm share rose to 49% in 2024, but the broader basket fell to 25%, down from 28% in 2022. With January 2026 Class III at $14.59, a fluid shipper can keep as little as a third of a gallon's retail price. The same firm that just beat USDA in the Adam Faust case says the checkoff is next. Know your number before your co-op does. Listen & Connect Full article and sources: https://www.thebullvine.com/farm-economics-management/june-dairy-month-turns-89-and-farmers-now-keep-just-25%C2%A2-of-every-dairy-dollar/ Subscribe for straight-talking dairy analysis. Share this with a producer who needs it.