By Ed Maltby, NODPA Executive Director
The USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) Market Information Branch published estimated national organic fluid milk product sales for September and October 2025, compiled with data from the Federal Milk Marketing Order. Total US sales of packaged organic fluid milk products were estimated at 251 million pounds in September 2025, with organic Whole Milk sales at 136 million pounds, and sales of organic Fat Reduced Milk at 114 million pounds. In October 2025, total sales of organic packaged milk were 248 million pounds, with sales of organic packaged Whole Milk at 131 million pounds, and sales of organic Fat Reduced Milk at 113 million pounds.
In September 2025, the data shows an increase in sales of Organic Whole Milk packaged fluid products of 3.8% over September 2024, and the October 2025 data shows a decrease in sales of 4.0% from October 2024. There was a 2.5% decrease in Organic Fat Reduced Milk in September 2025 over September 2024, and a 3.1 % decrease in October 2025 over October 2024. Year to date, September 2025, organic fluid milk sales are 1.2% lower than the same period in 2024 and in October 2025 they are 1.4% lower than the previous year. Year-to-date through October 2025, the growth of Organic Whole Milk fluid sales are lower than the past few years at only 2.6% higher than at the same time in 2024. Whether this is partly due to a tight supply, higher retail price, fluctuating economy or more organic milk diverted to more profitable cultured products is difficult to determine.
The average national retail price for organic milk, as recorded by Federal Milk Marketing Order in October 2025, dropped to $5.35 per half gallon for Whole Milk and Organic Reduced Fat 2% milk. In November 2025, there was a national average price of $5.36 for Organic Whole Milk half gallon and Reduced Fat 2% milk. There was the usual range in prices for different locations, with a low of $4.34 in Syracuse, NY; $5.17 in Boston, MA; $5.39 in Hartford, CT and $4.39 in Houston, Texas and a high of $6.89 in Pittsburgh, PA for November 2025. You will find many different variations in supermarkets and convenience stores as retailers set their own prices, for example in one supermarket in Massachusetts, Organic Valley Grass-Fed Milk was $7.20 per half gallon. Converted to a cwt price, $5.35 at retail is worth $124/cwt. The farm share averages $38/cwt and spot milk is reported at $55/cwt., heading to $60+/cwt. Approximately 70% of that income, almost $85/cwt., goes to other costs, including processing, packaging, transportation, retailing, advertising, management and profit. When Equity Capital is one of the largest investors in organic dairy, they obviously see that profitability for their portfolio.
Organic milk and cream are still very short in the Northeast and with the lack of high-quality feed and harsh winter weather, it’s not likely to improve. Reports are that supply is tight in other parts of the US. The wet spring and severe drought in some areas of the Northeast have cut production by up to 40%, forcing producers to use their winter supply of forage. Reports are that there is no organic hay available for sale in New York, New England and Canada, with some producers going as far as Colorado for a load of hay suitable for lactating cows.
There is serious competition between milk buyers and some, including Lactalis, are bringing new producers on-line to supply co-packers and possibly their own plants in the Midwest, where Pay Price has increased to match what is paid in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. Pay Price ranging from an annualized average of $35/cwt to $45/cwt for grain and pasture fed organic dairies, with Grass Fed organic certified dairies Pay Price ranging from $38/cwt up to $50+/cwt. Grass Fed A2A2 regenerative organic certification herds are in the $50 to$60 range. The Pay Price and, more important, the mailbox price will vary mostly depending on the component value of different herds, size and location, plus competition within the region.
Estimated Fluid Milk Products Sales Reports
|
Product Name |
Sales of Organic Fluid Milk |
Change from |
||
|
|
September 2025 |
2025 Year to date |
September-2024 |
Year to date -2024 |
|
Million pounds |
Percent |
|||
|
Organic Whole Milk |
136 |
1,223 |
3.8% |
3.4% |
|
Flavored Whole milk |
1 |
6 |
-13.2% |
-16.5% |
|
Organic Reduced-Fat Milk (2%) |
83 |
720 |
3.9% |
0.5% |
|
Organic Low-Fat Milk (1%) |
17 |
152 |
-18.8% |
-19.0% |
|
Organic Fat-Free Milk Skim |
9 |
90 |
-9.5% |
-10.3% |
|
Organic Flavored Fat-Reduced Milk |
5 |
44 |
-19.5% |
-25.5% |
|
Other Fluid Organic Milk Products |
0 |
3 |
-68.3% |
-26.1% |
|
Total Fat Reduced Milk |
114 |
1,006 |
-2.5% |
-6.0% |
|
Total Organic Milk Products |
251 |
2,238 |
0.5% |
-1.2% |
|
|
||||
|
Product Name |
Sales of Organic Fluid Milk |
Change from |
||
|
|
October 2025 |
2025 Year to date |
October-2024 |
Year to date -2024 |
|
|
Million pounds |
Percent |
||
|
Organic Whole Milk |
131 |
1,354 |
-4.00% |
2.6% |
|
Flavored Whole milk |
2 |
8 |
71.6% |
-3.5% |
|
Organic Reduced-Fat Milk (2%) |
83 |
803 |
1.8% |
-0.3% |
|
Organic Low-Fat Milk (1%) |
15 |
168 |
-24.9% |
-19.5% |
|
Organic Fat-Free Milk Skim |
10 |
100 |
-1.3% |
-9.4% |
|
Organic Flavored Fat-Reduced Milk |
5 |
49 |
0.2% |
-23.6% |
|
Other Fluid Organic Milk Products |
1 |
4 |
-0.8% |
-20.6% |
|
Total Fat Reduced Milk |
113 |
1,120 |
-3.1% |
-5.7% |
|
Total Organic Milk Products |
248 |
2,486 |
-3.2% |
-1.4% |
Data may not add due to rounding to the nearest million pounds
Federal Milk Marketing Order 1 (Order) reported that in October 2025, fluid Organic Milk, packaged and utilized within the Order, totaled 36.46 million pounds; higher than the previous year of 29.62 million pounds. In October 2025, sales of Organic Whole Milk packaged in the Order were 18.73 million pounds, 2.56 million pounds higher than October 2024. In October 2025, sales of Organic Reduced Fat Milk packaged and utilized in the Order was 17.73 million pounds, 4.28 million pounds higher than October 2025. Total Class 1 milk (both conventional and organic) packaged outside the Order, but sold within the Order, increased by 1.59 million pounds in October 2025 over October 2024.
In November 2025, sales of fluid Organic Milk packaged and utilized within the Order totaled 36.94 million pounds, higher than the previous year of 30.48 million pounds, an increase of 6.46 million pounds or 21%. In November 2025, sales of Organic Whole Milk packaged in the Order were 21.31 million pounds, 4.92 million pounds higher than November 2024. In November 2025, sales of Organic Reduced Fat Milk packaged and utilized in the Order were 15.63 million pounds, 1.54 million pounds higher than November 2024. Packaged milk coming into the Order in November 2025 decreased by 1.23 million pounds over the same period in 2024.
Organic milk averages approximately 19% of the fluid milk packaged in the Order. From January to November 2025, FMMO 1 reports an increase of 5% or 18.19 million pounds in organic packaged milk, from 368.82 million pounds in 2024 to 387.01 million pounds in 2025. Packaged milk coming into the Order during the same period, both conventional and organic, has increased by 62.03 million pounds as of November 2025 compared to November 2024, from 1,512.01 million pounds to 1,574.04 million pounds. The Stonyfield/US Lactalis plant in New Hampshire (Stonyfield); Brattleboro VT (Commonwealth Dairy) and those plants that either co-pack (use their own organic milk) or package Lactalis owned organic milk (tolling) are not included in this data because they do not process organic fluid milk and they have chosen not to be regulated under the Order.
|
UTILIZATION OF ORGANIC FLUID MILK PRODUCTS (Class 1) (Million pounds) in FMMO 1 (Northeast) not including packaged product out of order) |
||||||
|
Month |
Fluid retail Organic Milk 2025 |
Fluid retail Organic Milk 2024 |
Fluid retail Organic Milk 2023 |
Fluid retail Organic Milk 2022 |
Fluid retail Organic Milk 2021 |
Fluid retail Organic Milk 2020 |
|
JANUARY |
34.31 |
34.93 |
37.00 |
29.14 |
31.32 |
23.93 |
|
FEBRUARY |
29.46 |
31.50 |
31.65 |
33.65 |
31.56 |
26.69 |
|
MARCH |
37.70 |
34.82 |
37.37 |
31.56 |
31.87 |
27.90 |
|
APRIL |
35.86 |
35.68 |
31.51 |
33.23 |
28.97 |
29.35 |
|
MAY |
34.85 |
38.95 |
36.24 |
30.49 |
29.72 |
28.25 |
|
JUNE |
35.08 |
31.51 |
34.59 |
31.53 |
28.41 |
26.90 |
|
JULY |
36.09 |
35.54 |
31.15 |
29.44 |
25.50 |
26.70 |
|
AUGUST |
32.69 |
34.07 |
33.75 |
32.12 |
27.18 |
24.70 |
|
SEPTEMBER |
37.57 |
31.72 |
28.32 |
35.00 |
30.26 |
29.70 |
|
OCTOBER |
36.46 |
29.62 |
33.54 |
34.83 |
29.47 |
25.78 |
|
NOVEMBER |
36.94 |
30.48 |
31.19 |
31.13 |
31.07 |
24.47 |
|
DECEMBER |
|
33.34 |
33.56 |
33.78 |
31.36 |
28.13 |
|
ANNUAL |
|
402.16 |
399.87 |
385.90 |
356.68 |
322.50 |
There are 3 other FMMO’s that publish reports on the volume of Class 1 organic packaged milk in their Order, two of which report how much is ‘exported’ to other Orders. In October 2025, of the 248 million pounds packaged and sold as Class 1 organic milk in the US, 51.94 million pounds were from Order 32 (Central), of which 46.26 million pounds were utilized in other Orders. Order 51 (California) packaged 42.55 million pounds of organic milk in October 2025, of which 763,676 pounds were sold in other Orders. Order 33 (Mideast) packages less than Order 1, 32 and 51, with 21.63 million pounds in October 2025. Texas has claimed that they are the largest producers of organic milk but their FMMO Order, Southwest F.O. 126, does not publish any breakdown of Class 1 organic milk or any other data on organic milk. Saputo Dairy Foods US LLC in Sulphur Springs, Texas, processes extended shelf-life organic dairy products, and WhiteWave Foods, Dallas Texas (Plant Number: 0994) are two of the many exempt distribution plants pooled under the Northeast Order.
UTILIZATION OF ORGANIC FLUID MILK PRODUCTS - (Million pounds) in FMMO 32 (Central)
|
Month |
2025 |
2025 in Order |
2025 out of Order |
2024 |
2024 in order |
2024 out of order |
2023 |
2023 in order |
2023 out of order |
|
January |
55.36 |
6.59 |
48.77 |
56.23 |
6.41 |
49.82 |
55.21 |
6.51 |
48.70 |
|
February |
47.93 |
5.43 |
42.49 |
51.88 |
5.77 |
46.12 |
49.11 |
5.49 |
43.63 |
|
March |
50.05 |
6.28 |
43.78 |
53.96 |
5.93 |
46.29 |
52.73 |
5.59 |
45.44 |
|
April |
47.65 |
5.45 |
42.20 |
54.13 |
6.04 |
48.09 |
49.18 |
5.64 |
43.53 |
|
May |
48.28 |
5.70 |
42.58 |
51.32 |
5.81 |
45.51 |
48.21 |
5.40 |
42.78 |
|
June |
44.98 |
5.32 |
39.66 |
52.56 |
5.51 |
47.04 |
45.20 |
5.57 |
39.63 |
|
July |
50.18 |
6.25 |
43.93 |
52.68 |
5.63 |
47.04 |
48.45 |
5.70 |
42.75 |
|
August |
46.74 |
5.42 |
41.32 |
55.63 |
6.26 |
49.37 |
48.47 |
5.63 |
42.85 |
|
September |
49.37 |
5.76 |
43.62 |
50.68 |
5.41 |
45.27 |
48.76 |
5.58 |
43.18 |
|
October |
51.94 |
5.68 |
46.26 |
50.36 |
5.89 |
44.47 |
49.73 |
5.65 |
42.48 |
|
November |
46.75 |
5.00 |
41.76 |
48.04 |
5.99 |
42.04 |
49.60 |
5.48 |
44.12 |
|
December |
|
|
|
53.98 |
6.73 |
47.21 |
54.17 |
6.08 |
48.10 |
|
Total |
|
|
|
631.45 |
71.39 |
558.25 |
598.82 |
68.31 |
527.18 |
The USDA AMS Market News Vermont Report has published data since November 2023. The weighted average Pay Price is $38.24/cwt for year-to-date September 2025, with a range of $36.06/cwt to a maximum of $40.29/cwt (does not include any deductions for hauling). The average daily production per cow, year-to-date, averages 47 lbs./cow. The milk buyers in Vermont are CROPP Cooperative, US Lactalis direct supply, Upstate Niagara (newly named UNC) and many small processors or direct-to-consumer operations. The total number of organic dairies in VT is 117 according to the VT Department of Agriculture.
The USDA AMS Market News Pennsylvania Report shows a 2025 September year-to-date range of Pay Price from a low of $37.52/cwt to a high of $40.37/cwt. The average weighted price over the 9-month period is $38.74, slightly higher than the Pay Price shown for VT. The average daily production per cow for the 9-month period is 32.64 pounds, 14.36 pounds lower than the VT average.
Organic Milk Exports
The Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) releases monthly export data which includes export volumes and values for organic milk categorized as HS-10 code 0401201000, milk and cream, not concentrated nor sweetened, of a fat content, by weight, exceeding 1% but not exceeding 6% certified organic. With the government back open, we now have figures for August and September 2025. The data from August 2025 shows organic milk HS-10 exports were 13,321 cwt. The same month in 2024 was dramatically lower at 6,604 cwt - a 101.7% increase from 2024 to 2025, or 6,717 cwt. September 2025 data showed an increase of approximately the same amount, with exports at 13,532 cwt an increase of 7,436 cwt. over September 2024 amount of 6,096 cwt or 122% increase. Year-to-date January to September 2025 exports are 98,481 cwt, up 102.6 percent, compared to the same time period one year ago. 74% of these exports were to North America. None of this milk is subject to tariffs under the USMCA and any increase will still fall below the level where current agreements mandate tariffs being added.
Auction News
The demand for both organic and conventional calves, cows, and heifers remain high but buyers are more selective, especially in the Northeast with a shortage of feed. Those operations that are tretched for feed or suffering from cash flow difficulties because of the high price of purchased forage, are culling some of their herd; although most go for a cull price much below the high price for selected A2A2 organic certified bred heifers and milking cows. With the national beef herd still at the lowest level for many years, demand for beef calves is still high but in some areas of the country they have started to drop to a more normal good price, instead of exceptional price.
At Hoskins Livestock Auction in New Berlin NY in December 2025, producers saw high prices for week old bull calves averaging $13.60/lb. with a top price of $17.10/lb. Heifer calves were not so high averaging $8.90/lb. Organic milking age cows topped out at $2,400 each with organic bred heifers at $1,950. The cull price averaged $1.12/lb.
A reminder: organic livestock do not need to be shipped separately from non-organic when they are trucked to auction or direct to slaughter. They do need to be identified clearly as organic with all the correct paperwork that is required by your certifier and buyer to prevent fraud and maintain the integrity of the organic market.
Feed
A common inquiry concerns the existence of tariffs on Canadian hay and grains; currently, there are none and producers should not be paying this import tax despite any claims from sellers and confusion at the border. There are tariffs on equipment and other products. The import HS code for Canadian hay is 1214.90 but don’t expect to find any on the open market. Please ensure correct testing of any hay you receive before accepting or paying for the load, and get expert advice on how to incorporate the feed into a nutritious ration. National data from USDA has organic feed corn delivered to the elevator averaging $8.23 per bushel in November 2025. Organic feed soybean delivered to the elevator averaged $22.57/bu. in November 2025. This national data does not represent the Northeast which may be $2 dollars higher depending on where it originates from. Organic feed wheat averaged $7.40/bushel in November 2025. Soybean meal is trading at $850-900/ton in November-December 2025. I have no accurate information on the price of hay, which depends on availability, and expensive trucking.
Attached Files:
Posted: to Organic Pay, Feed & Grain Prices on Sat, Jan 10, 2026
Updated: Sat, Jan 10, 2026
