Total U.S. dairy export value in 2014 rose 6 percent over the prior year to reach US$7.11 billion, exceeding the $7-billion mark for the first time. This was the fifth consecutive record for U.S. dairy exports, with a strong start at the beginning of 2014 offsetting a slowdown in the second half of the year. Exports to Mexico (+15% by value), South Korea (+39%) and Japan (+34%) were up significantly in 2014, while shipments to Southeast Asia, China and Canada were steady at near 2013 totals.

Just under 2 million tons of U.S. milk powders, cheese, butterfat, whey and lactose were exported in 2014, with total U.S. exports equivalent to 15.4 percent of U.S. milk solids production during the year. U.S. cheese exports notably increased for the fifth straight year to 368,728 tons; this figure is more than triple the volume shipped in 2009 and reflects a year-over-year increase of 17 percent. Overall whey exports were up 1 percent in 2014 reaching 497,719 tons, with volume gains coming from higher-protein ingredients. WPI shipments were up 31 percent and WPC exports grew 1 percent during 2014 while dry whey finished 3 percent below 2013 levels.

With new production capacity coming on-line during the year, whole milk powder exports also grew significantly during 2014, expanding 40 percent to reach 54,651 tons. U.S. nonfat dry milk and skim milk powder exports totaled 545,956 tons in 2014, finishing the year down slightly by 1.6 percent. In terms of other key ingredients, U.S. butterfat exports declined to 71,156 tons (-21.3 percent), U.S. lactose exports reached 343,899 tons (+1 percent), and U.S. MPC exports rose to 52,240 tons (+6 percent).