For National Dairy Month, the U.S. Dairy Export Council is answering the questions our farmer-funders frequently ask. This is FAQ No. 5 in a 10-part series. 

Editor's note: We are now offering all 10 FAQs and USDEC's answers bundled in a single, easy-to-read document featuring data, examples and analysis. Click the red button below, fill out a simple form and you'll get the report in an instant.

FAQ 5: Why should friends and neighbors not in the U.S. dairy industry care about exports?

If you care about the U.S. economy, the jobs it creates for your fellow citizens and the state and federal taxes we all have to pay, you have a stake in the success of U.S. dairy exports.

If you care about the economic vitality of America, especially in rural communities, you should care about U.S. dairy exports. 

Directly and indirectly, U.S. dairy exports support nearly 100,000 American jobs.

For every dollar of dairy products exported to our historically largest market, Mexico, $2.50 of economic impact returns to the U.S. economy, according to a study by Informa Economics commissioned by the U.S. Dairy Export Council and the National Milk Producers Federation.

But the real impact is much larger when you consider exports are a necessary pillar of a U.S. dairy industry that is a jobs machine, generating employment, tax revenue and other economic impacts coast-to-coast.  

Factor in the dairy industry’s contribution to connected economic sectors (such as manufacturing and retail) and you see a ripple effect with eye-popping numbers.

The economic ripple effect of U.S. dairy exports begins on the farm.

A recently updated economic impact report from the International Dairy Foods Association shows that the entire U.S. dairy industry:  

• Supports 3.3 million jobs. 
• Generates more than $41.6 billion in direct wages. 
• Has an overall economic impact of $753 billion. 

In short, dairy exports are a vital part of a larger U.S. dairy industry that is fueling the U.S. economy coast-to-coast.

Learn more:

• FAQ 4: How is the U.S. Dairy Export Council funded?
• FAQ 3: How did the U.S. Dairy Export Council start?

• FAQ 2: What does the U.S. Dairy Export Council do?

• FAQ 1: How do U.S. dairy exports benefit farmers?

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The U.S. Dairy Export Council fosters collaborative industry partnerships with processors, trading companies and others to enhance global demand for U.S. dairy products and ingredients. USDEC is primarily supported by Dairy Management Inc. through the dairy farmer checkoff. How to republish this post.