Block cheese surges, barrels tumble! CME dairy shows mixed signals. Butter flat, whey & NDM ease. Get the May 8th breakdown & outlook.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The CME dairy markets on May 8th, 2025, presented a mixed picture, highlighted by a significant divergence in cheese prices: Cheddar blocks continued their rally, closing up 2.00 cents, while barrels fell 1.75 cents, widening the block-barrel spread to a notable 5.75 cents. Butter prices remained unchanged after recent declines, with minimal trading activity. Nonfat dry milk and dry whey both experienced slight price decreases. Trading volume was robust for block cheese, indicating strong buyer interest, whereas other commodities saw more subdued activity. Global factors, such as a strong GDT auction, provided a generally supportive backdrop, though U.S. domestic signals were varied, leading to a sentiment of cautious optimism among market participants.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- Cheese Market Divergence: Cheddar blocks surged (+2.00¢) to $1.8400/lb, while barrels dropped (-1.75¢) to $1.7825/lb, creating a significant 5.75¢ spread, suggesting varied demand across cheese types.
- Other Commodities Soften or Hold: Butter prices held steady at $2.3225/lb amidst low trading volume, while Nonfat Dry Milk (-0.25¢) and Dry Whey (-0.75¢) both saw modest declines.
- Trading Activity Highlights Block Strength: Block cheese saw active trading with 13 loads exchanged, indicating strong demand, while butter and dry whey markets were quiet.
- Global Support vs. Domestic Mixed Signals: Positive GDT auction results offered global support, but the U.S. market exhibited internal variations, particularly in cheese, reflecting complex supply-demand dynamics.
- Cautious Outlook: While current cheese strength offers opportunities, factors like volatile feed costs (corn futures rebounded) and projected increases in milk production later in the year advise a cautious approach for stakeholders.
Today’s Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) dairy markets showed divergent movements as block cheese continued its upward trajectory while barrel cheese reversed course. Butter held steady after Wednesday’s decline, while the prices of nonfat dry milk and dry whey increased slightly. The widening block-barrel spread to 5.75 cents signals potential shifts in cheese demand channels and has captured trader attention amidst otherwise mixed market sentiment.
Key Price Changes & Market Trends
Product | Closing Price | Change from Yesterday |
Cheddar Block | $1.8400/lb | +2.00¢ |
Cheddar Barrel | $1.7825/lb | -1.75¢ |
Butter | $2.3225/lb | Unchanged |
Nonfat Dry Milk | $1.2150/lb | -0.25¢ |
Dry Whey | $0.5425/lb | -0.75¢ |
Commentary: Cheddar blocks continued their strong performance, gaining 2.00 cents to close at $1.8400/lb, building on yesterday’s 3.50-cent increase. This marks the third consecutive day of gains for blocks, which have now climbed 6.50 cents this week. Meanwhile, barrel prices retreated 1.75 cents to $1.7825/lb, creating a significantly widened block-barrel spread of 5.75 cents. This spread expansion suggests stronger retail demand than processed cheese demand.
Butter held steady at $2.3225/lb following yesterday’s 1.75-cent decline, with minimal trading activity indicating a potentially balanced market after recent volatility. NDM edged lower by 0.25 cents to $1.2150/lb, while dry whey fell 0.75 cents to $0.5425/lb, partially giving back yesterday’s significant 2.50-cent gain.
Volume and Trading Activity
Today’s trading session showed notably strong interest in block cheese with 13 trades executed, demonstrating firm demand and buyer confidence. This robust trading activity came alongside three unfilled bids, indicating continued buying interest even at elevated price levels. In contrast, barrel cheese saw moderate activity with four trades completed and four uncovered offers, suggesting ample selling interest and potential downward pressure.
Butter trading was notably quiet with zero trades, one bid, and one offer, indicating a market equilibrium following yesterday’s price adjustment. NDM saw respectable activity with five trades executed, three bids, and one offer, suggesting balanced market participation. Dry whey had no trades for the second consecutive day, with just one bid and one offer, highlighting the continued thin liquidity in this market despite recent price volatility.
Overall weekly volume through Thursday stands at 43 trades for blocks, 16 for barrels, 21 for butter, 13 for NDM, and just 1 for dry whey, with block cheese seeing the most significant increase in trading interest compared to prior weeks.
Global Context
International factors continue influencing U.S. dairy market dynamics, with several key developments shaping today’s trading environment.
Global Dairy Trade (GDT) Influence: Tuesday’s GDT auction saw a significant 4.6% jump in its overall price index, the largest increase since November 2024. This positive momentum has provided tailwinds for U.S. dairy prices, particularly cheese. Cheddar posted double-digit percentage gains at the auction, while whole milk powder advanced, creating a generally supportive global price environment.
European Union Production Trends: EU milk supply remains flat in 2025, with processors increasingly prioritizing cheese production. This has contributed to firmer butter prices in Europe (reported at €739/100kg in early 2025) due to tighter milk availability for butter churning. The EU’s focus on cheese production potentially reduces competitive pressure on U.S. cheese exports while supporting global butter markets.
Trade Policy Developments: China’s retaliatory tariffs significantly impact U.S. dry whey exports, contributing to the product’s price volatility and thin trading volume. Meanwhile, the new dairy agreement between the U.S. and Indonesia, signed on May 1, 2025, aims to enhance trade and industry collaboration, potentially opening new markets for U.S. dairy exports as the industry seeks to diversify beyond traditional destinations.
Oceania Production: New Zealand’s milk production shows mixed signals, with February 2025 collections 2.3% below the previous year for the month, but season-to-date collections remaining 2.9% ahead of the prior year. This pattern of uneven production adds complexity to global supply forecasts and may contribute to price volatility in the coming months.
Forecasts and Analysis
USDA & CME Forecasts: The May Class III milk futures settled at .54/cwt today, showing a 23-cent decline from yesterday but remaining significantly above the USDA’s annual forecast of .60/cwt. This persistent premium reflects current market tightness but raises questions about longer-term sustainability.
The USDA’s April 2025 WASDE report projects the following annual average prices:
- Class III milk: $17.60/cwt
- All-milk price: $21.10/cwt
- Cheddar cheese: $1.790/lb
- Butter: $2.445/lb
- NDM: $1.220/lb
- Dry whey: $0.510/lb
Cash market prices for cheese are trading well above USDA’s annual forecasts, while butter remains below, creating mixed signals for market participants.
Feed Costs: May 2025 corn futures rebounded significantly today, closing at $4.6325/bushel, up from $4.4200/bushel yesterday. This volatility in feed costs adds complexity to producer margin calculations and may partially offset potential gains from stronger milk prices. Soybean meal prices have stabilized around $287.90/ton, offering some cost certainty for protein supplement needs.
Milk Production: USDA projects U.S. milk production for 2025 at 226.9 billion pounds, a modest increase over 2024. This growth is expected to come from a slightly larger national dairy herd of around 9.35 million head, with modest gains in milk yield per cow. Any acceleration in production beyond these forecasts could pressure prices in the latter half of 2025.
Market Sentiment
Market participants express cautious optimism about near-term price strength while maintaining awareness of potential headwinds later in the year.
“The divergence we’re seeing between blocks and barrels suggests retail demand is outpacing food service and processed cheese requirements,” noted Dave Kurzawski of HighGround Dairy. “This widening spread bears watching as it could signal shifts in consumer purchasing patterns or inventory positioning ahead of summer demand.”
Another analyst commented, “While today’s block cheese strength certainly feels positive, the relatively subdued trading in butter and complete absence of whey transactions suggests underlying caution in some market segments. Traders are increasingly focused on how growing milk production might affect markets by mid-summer.”
The overall sentiment reflects a market at a potential inflection point, with current tightness in cheese inventories supporting prices but longer-term supply growth creating uncertainty about sustainability. This dichotomy keeps many participants focused on short-term opportunities while maintaining hedging strategies for deferred periods.
Closing Summary & Recommendations
In summary, today’s CME dairy markets showed divergent movements with block cheese continuing its upward momentum while barrels reversed course, widening the spread to 5.75 cents. Butter held steady after yesterday’s decline, while NDM and dry whey prices eased slightly. Strong block trading activity contrasted with moderate to light volume in other products, suggesting varied confidence levels across market segments.
Recommendations for Stakeholders:
Producers should view current cheese strength as a potential opportunity to lock in favorable Class III milk prices for near-term production, while maintaining risk management strategies for later in the year when increased milk supply could pressure markets. The widening block-barrel spread suggests that focusing on milk components that optimize cheese yield could be particularly beneficial.
Traders may find opportunities in the divergence between current strong spot and nearby futures prices versus the more moderate USDA forecasts. The block-barrel spread dynamics and the contrast between cheese strength and butter stability also present potential arbitrage possibilities.
Processors should note the resilience of cheese prices despite USDA forecasts for increased milk production, suggesting either successful export market diversification or strong domestic demand. The continued impact of new U.S. cheese processing capacity on regional milk flows and component markets remains a key consideration for procurement strategies.
With feed costs showing renewed volatility and milk production expected to increase, market participants should remain vigilant about changing fundamentals while capitalizing on the current period of generally favorable pricing.
Learn more:
- CME Dairy Market Report: May 6, 2025 – Dairy Prices Rally Across the Board as Global Demand Surges and Cheese Inventories Tighten
Analyzes the precursor rally to May 8th’s block cheese surge, detailing tightening inventories and export-driven demand that set the stage for this week’s volatility. - CME Dairy Market Report: End of Day – May 7, 2025
Provides critical context on the block-barrel spread expansion and milkfat challenges that preceded May 8th’s trading session, highlighting evolving trader strategies. - Global Dairy Market Trends 2025: European Decline, US Expansion Reshaping Industry Landscape
Explores structural shifts in milk production and processing capacity that underpin current CME price dynamics, including the EU’s 0.2% production decline and its impact on U.S. export opportunities.
Join the Revolution!
Join over 30,000 successful dairy professionals who rely on Bullvine Daily for their competitive edge. Delivered directly to your inbox each week, our exclusive industry insights help you make smarter decisions while saving precious hours every week. Never miss critical updates on milk production trends, breakthrough technologies, and profit-boosting strategies that top producers are already implementing. Subscribe now to transform your dairy operation’s efficiency and profitability—your future success is just one click away.