Inflation-weary consumers have been cutting back on trips to burger joints and pizza shops for nearly two years, but the added economic stress caused by months of rising gas prices appears to have taken a steep toll on cheese prices in September, said Betty Berning, analyst with the Daily Dairy Report. “While poor foodservice demand for cheeseburgers and other cheese-heavy items served by fast-food restaurants is a big part of the story, supplies are sizable, too,” Berning sa

It was a wild week on LaSalle as the dairy markets swung dramatically. After dipping to multi-year lows in recent weeks both cheese and butter spot values found traction at the CME. Meanwhile, dry whey continued its upward campaign, rising to a new record high. Only nonfat dry milk prices retreated, though they remain very strong compared to historical standards. Despite the overall bullish moves this week, several fundamental factors are still casting a shadow over the marke

The post on September 25, 2026, finished with a comment that the increased volumes of cheese and butterfat being produced allows a more consistent and adequate domestic supply of components. The excess is being exported. That should reduce volatility in domestic component prices. This post will dig into the current increases and exports to see if volatility is getting reduced. Protein prices are the most volatile (Chart I). The volatility charts list the monthly changes.