The U.S. Is Poised to Dominate the Next Decade of Global Dairy Production
- ZISK APP
- Jul 30
- 1 min read
Updated: Jul 31
Shift from grass-fed to grain-fed systems positions the U.S. as the world’s dairy growth engine.
The global dairy landscape is undergoing a fundamental transformation that could reshape trade flows for the next decade — and the United States is positioned to emerge as the dominant force in milk production growth.
For years, the world’s marginal milk supply came from pasture-based systems in New Zealand, Australia, South America and parts of Europe. But those regions have largely stopped expanding, and the economics of dairy production are shifting decisively toward grain-fed operations — a model where the U.S. holds unmatched advantages.
“Between 2000 and 2015, the marginal milk growth was really coming from a grass-fed system,” said Scott Briggs of Bridgecape Commodities, speaking on The Milk Check podcast. “But since then, those places have stopped growing and really the next unit of growth comes from grains. Ultimately, that does mean that the U.S. is in a great position to respond to the milk production needs of the world.”
By Karen Bohnert
July 28, 2026 08:06 AM
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