Estimated Montana Dairy Product Imports – Fiscal Year 2025
| Product Description | Imports (lbs. milk equivalent) |
|---|---|
| Class I Fluid Milk Products | 85,887,003 |
| Class II Fluid Cream Products | 58,871,799 |
| Class II Uncultured Products (ice cream & frozen yogurt) | 38,288,105 |
| Class II Cultured Products (cottage cheese, sour cream, yogurt) | 34,912,66 |
| Class III Products (cream cheese, cheese, butter) | 226,673,169 |
Montana exports include Class I fluid milk products packaged in Montana's pool plants, bulk cream collected by pool handlers, and rarely bulk unpasteurized milk. Montana's exports of Class I packaged fluid milk products significantly exceeded its bulk milk imports. In Fiscal Year 2025 Montana exported approximately 129.77 million pounds of milk consisting of approximately 120.96 million pounds of Class I packaged fluid milk products and 8.81 million pounds of bulk cream. This is an increase in Class I packaged fluid milk products of 9.94 million pounds, a decrease in bulk raw milk of 71,400 pounds, and an increase in bulk cream of 205,882 pounds from the previous fiscal year. The program estimates that approximately 8.6 million pounds of bulk cream exported from Montana pool plants could have produced approximately 4.4 million pounds of butter. In Fiscal Year 2025, approximately 10.9 million pounds of butter were consumed in Montana, almost all of it is imported from outside of Montana. The small amount produced in Montana is produced by Montana non-pool producer/distributors.
Montana Milk Exports – Fiscal Year 2025
| Product Description | Exports (lbs.) |
|---|---|
| Bulk Cream | 8,807,366 |
| Class I Packaged Fluid Milk Products | 120,963,893 |
| Total | 129,771,259 |