Dairy export numbers hint at tariff effects

Aside from the data, USDEC says numerous exporters have talked of lost contracts, expectations of losing contracts and adjusting prices lower to hold onto market share. U.S. dairy exports in July were seasonably lower and the lowest since January, but they were still ahead of year-ago levels.Suppliers shipped 170,100 tons of milk powders, cheese, butterfat, whey and lactose, up 11 percent over July 2017. Those exports were worth $434 million, a 3 percent increase over a year earlier, U.S. Dairy Export Council reported.But the data also seem to show some effects from retaliatory tariffs on U.S. dairy by China and Mexico, with a big hit to whey and cheese exports to China and a slight drop in cheese exports to Mexico — the top market for U.S. cheese.