2012 commercial use up; fluid sales down

Dairy product sales offset declining fluid milk sales, helping boost overall dairy commercial disappearance in 2012, according to USDA’s Dairy Market News.

2012 commercial disappearance surpasses milk production

Commercial disappearance of dairy products during 2012 totaled 201.8 billion lbs., 1.7% more than 2011, and surpassing total U.S. milk production (200.3 billion lbs.) and total U.S. marketings (199.3 billion lbs.) for the year.

Beginning commercial stocks (10.98 billion lbs.) and imports (3.67 billion lbs.) added to the total available for commercial disappearance.

Comparing 2012 disappearance with year-earlier levels: butter was up 1.6%, at 1.84 billion lbs.; American cheese was up 2.0%, at 4.37 billion lbs.; other cheese was up 1.6%, at 6.80 billion lbs.; nonfat dry milk was up 17.9%, at 1.77 billion lbs.; and fluid milk products were down 1.9%, at 52.85 billion lbs.

 

December, 2012 fluid sales lower

December 2012 packaged fluid milk sales totaled 4.44 billion lbs., down 4.3% from December 2011. After adjusting for calendar composition, sales totaled 4.50 billion lbs., down 2.2% from the year before.

December sales of conventional products, at 4.27 billion lbs., were down 4.3%; organic products, at 174 million lbs., were also down 4.3%. Organic represented about 3.9% of total sales.

With the December estimates, 2012 total packaged fluid milk sales, at 52.85 billion lbs., were down 1.6% from the same period a year earlier (52.90 billion lbs., down 1.5%, calendar adjusted). 2012 sales of conventional products, at 50.69  billion lbs., were down 1.8% from 2011; organic products, at 2.16 billion lbs., were up 2.9%. Organic represented about 4.1% of total sales.