Structural changes in the U.S. dairy industry from the early 1980s to the late 1990s included familiar increases in concentration, industry adjustments to serve large supermarkets, the emergence of two national fluid milk firms (Suiza Foods and Dean Foods), and the emergence of two national...

U.S. dairy companies and cooperatives have long been minor players in international dairy markets, exporting the equivalent of only 2% to 4% of domestic milk production. There are good reasons for this behavior. Sales opportunities in the large domestic market and prices offered by the USDA...

The Uruguay Round World Trade Organization (URWTO) agreement and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) created both benefits and costs for dairy farmers. The URWTO agreement benefits include border protection that helped to keep U.S. prices for cheddar cheese, butter, and nonfat dry...