Featuring festive food, a robust cattle judging contest, educational seminars, career connections and a large exhibitor hall with more than 700 exhibitors showcasing cutting-edge technology and the latest dairy equipment, the 57th Annual World Dairy Expo (WDE), taking place Oct. 1-4 at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wis., was buzzing with activity around the theme, “The Golden Age.”

Dairy producers, companies, farmers and dairy enthusiasts came together to compete, network and learn more about the latest technological advancements and commerce within the multifaceted dairy industry. The world’s largest dairy-focused tradeshow attracted more than 60,000 dairy stakeholders, including researchers, technical experts and national sales representatives from nearly 100 countries, as the global dairy industry came together for this seminal event which has been held in Madison since its inception.

As part of WDE, the 2024 Global Dairy Summit, taking Oct. 4 in The Tanbark on the Expo grounds, featured remarks from U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack along with national leaders in the dairy industry.

Hosted by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP), the Global Dairy Summit provides insight into the dairy economy, considers the industry outlook, and highlights potential marketing opportunities. Farmers, processors, businesses, and global industry stakeholders attended this year’s event, which was kicked off by DATCP Secretary Randy Romanski.

“I was honored to host the Global Dairy Summit in Wisconsin and engage in important conversations about the future of the dairy industry,” Romanski said. “The presenters have extensive knowledge and impressive global experience, and I look forward to them sharing their insights with our international audience.”

Operating a six-generation family farm, Corey Geiger, Dairy Lead Economist at CoBank, one of the largest providers of credit to the dairy and the U.S. rural economy, moderated a panel discussion featuring:

• Krysta Harden, President and CEO, U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC). At USDEC since 2020, Harden leverages her strong background within agriculture, sustainability and food policy in fulfilling the nonprofit’s mission to promote dairy exports and enrich the well-being of people, communities and the planet. In addition to working with Secretary Vilsack, Harden lent her expertise at Dairy Management Inc., which manages the dairy checkoff for 34,000 dairy farmers to look at the U.S. dairy’s environmental commitment.
• Mike McCully, President and Owner, McCully Consulting, a firm that provides strategic consulting services to dairy and food companies. Throughout his career, McCully has provided leadership on dairy industry issues and has served on the Board of Directors for International Dairy Foods Association’s Milk Industry Foundation, among others.
• Heather Anfang, President, Dairy Foods and executive vice president, Land O' Lakes Inc., where she has worked for 20 years. She oversees strategic and commercial activities in the Dairy Retail and Foodservice businesses and heads up enterprise-wide eCommerce efforts.
• Dave Lenzmeier, CEO, Milk Specialties Global (MSG), who grew up on a dairy farm in Kimball, Minn., and has spent his entire life in the dairy industry. MSG manufactures nutritional ingredients for the health and wellness industry, with certified manufacturing facilities in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Nebraska, Idaho, Illinois and California.

The Washington, D.C.-based USDEC is a catalyst for the U.S. dairy industry and “helping to nourish a hungry world,” Harden said. She notes that exports play a vital role in markets around the world, including Mexico, Canada, China, Japan and Australia, with parts of Africa set to receive dairy products. Among other countries, USDEC is working with 18 small Indonesian farmers on industry capacity investments to meet the country’s demand for quality dairy ingredients.

“A lot of people know about pizza or cheese on a hamburger, but the dairy industry is very good for agriculture. Yet, because it takes a few years to get a cow milking, we’re seeing tight supply globally,” she points out. “U.S. exports will likely remain mixed.”

Noting that exports are a critical part of demand, Harden explains that exported cheese products continue to grow. Between 2011 and 2019, 11% of “new” cheese production was exported. Since 2019, exports have nearly doubled to 24%.  

Harden and the other panelists affirm that exports are the future of U.S. Dairy, and while the U.S. is currently the third largest exporter, she asserts “the U.S. should be No. 1.” (See sidebar to learn the top exporting countries and more facts and figures).

Like Harden, McCully is “very optimistic” about the future of the dairy industry.

“Plants are chasing milk as opposed to milk chasing plants,” he says. “With the tighter milk supply and milk being used in more premium products like cheese and ice cream, we’re also going to see more consolidation at the farm, plant and processor level.”

He notes that four cheese plants closed this year, and more are expected to close their doors.

On the milk side, McCully questions how processors can squeeze more money out of a limited supply. This also is heightened by the fact that cattle are fetching higher prices for their beef than for their milk.

“Yet, milk solids are seeing expanded production,” he says. For instance, whey protein powders in protein drinks, supplements and more are helping consumers build muscle, promote weight loss and improve heart health.

While there remains lots of challenges, there’s also lots of opportunities, particularly when it comes to developing more value-added dairy products.

“Dairy has an amazing story to tell, and at Land O’Lakes, we are creating opportunities for farmers to have a secure livelihood,” Anfang says. “We have a recipe for innovation that transfers trends into action. For example, right after the pandemic, we released Butterballs.”

In recognizing the “nutritional powerhouse and excellent value that dairy provides,” Anfang says there is so much to be proud of, and so much to communicate.

The CEO of Eden Prairie, Minn.-based Milk Specialties Global explains that his dairy nutrition company produces milk and whey protein ingredients for use in food and animal nutrition at 13 plants in several states.

“Thirty percent of total protein leaves North America for Korea, China and Indonesia,” Lenzmeier says. “The North American supply chain has an unmatched efficiency. Producing 50 to 60 million pounds of milk a day means that U.S. dairy can fill the void in EU (European Union) and New Zealand.”

Yet, the U.S. dairy industry is bracing for change in the coming years with the rate of consolidation likely increasing for both farms and dairy plants, Lenzmeier said.

“Domestic demand trends are positive with solid growth prospects for butter, cheese and whole milk,” he concluded. “Exports of cheese and whey products are expected to have the highest growth potential.”

Key events in milk production, cheese exports, and more

Culled from speaker’s remarks and slides presented at the Global Dairy Summit at World Dairy Expo, the following are a few significant events from the dairy industry.  

1992: First year to exceed $500 million in global dairy exports.

1995: US Dairy Export Council (USDEC) originated as a nonprofit, pro-trade membership organization with a long-range vision for a more global future. USDEC’s mission: “to enrich the well-being of people, communities and the planet.”  

2003: First year to exceed $1 billion in global dairy exports.

2010: The non-dairy milk trend began to gain momentum, though non-dairy milks have been around for centuries.

2011: Between 2011-2019, 11% of new cheese production was exported.

2014: In the last decade, U.S. milk production grew 10% but most of the growth emanated from a small number of areas.

2018: Healthy Fluid Milk Incentives, a SNAP program, were authorized in the 2018 Farm Bill.

2019: Twenty-four percent of new cheese production is exported.

2020s: Significant growth in protein-fortified foods.

2022: China is the No. 1 importer of milk to the tune of more than $6.1 billion dollars, the highest import value in the world.

2023: Nine in 10 consumers say sustainability is “very” or “somewhat important.” Additionally, 75% of millennial consumers consider sustainability when they make a purchase. Consumers trust farmers when it comes to understanding environmental issues.   

2024: At the Global Dairy Summit in Madison, dairy experts suggest that the future of U.S. Dairy is in exports. New Zealand, the largest milk exporter in the world, has an export value of $6.8 billion in 2023-2024. The top milk exporting countries are New Zealand, Germany, the United States, the Netherlands, and Belgium.