The Texas Dairy Export Scorecard: 2026
A scorecard is only as good as its data and its definitions. Rather than hand you numbers that could go stale, this guide shows how to build a Texas dairy export scorecard yourself and read it with care.
Why a method and not a table?
This article does not claim that a downloadable report exists, and it does not print a table of Texas export results. Numbers change as data are revised, and state-level dairy export data are not always straightforward. Anything you see quoted for 2026 or another period is as reported and should be checked at the named official source.
The goal is to give you a method you can use every year with sources you can trust. The main federal sources are the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service and the U.S. International Trade Commission, with summaries from the USDA Economic Research Service.
State sources add context. The Texas Department of Agriculture lists trade assistance for Texas businesses, and the Texas Comptroller publishes economic data about the state. A scorecard also helps with conversations. When you meet your lender, co-op board or neighbors, having a one-page summary of where Texas dairy stands in the export picture makes the discussion more concrete.
What should a Texas dairy export scorecard include?
Keep it simple: five lines you can update once or twice a year. Choose the ones that match what your plant and your region actually do.
Resist the urge to add dozens of measures. A scorecard that takes an hour to update will not get updated.
If you want to go further, add a line for competitor price benchmarks from USDA Dairy Market News, so you can see whether export results line up with price movements.
- Export value and volume of dairy products, over several years
- Product mix: cheese, powders, whey, butter
- Main destination regions
- Share of exports versus total production, if available
- Notes on events: disease, weather, tariffs, currency
Where does the data come from, and what are its limits?
Export data are typically reported by product and destination for the nation as a whole. State-level attribution can be tricky because products may be shipped from a port in one state after being made in another. A Texas plant's cheese might leave through a Gulf port or move by truck to a distant coast.
That means any Texas figure may reflect where goods were exported from or where they were produced, depending on the source, and the difference matters. Read the definitions on the official page before drawing a conclusion.
Another limit is timing. Trade data are published with a delay, so the scorecard tells you about the recent past, not about the current week. Use market news for the present and trade data for the pattern.
How do you interpret the numbers fairly?
Look for trends over at least three years, not single-year jumps. Compare against national figures to see whether Texas is gaining or only moving with the market. Note the base: a fast percentage increase from a small starting point may be modest in absolute terms.
Hypothetically, if a Texas plant starts selling whey abroad, the state's export figure can rise sharply in one year even though the farm output is unchanged. A single plant can move a state's numbers, so read the cause as well as the number.
Finally, be honest about what you do not know. If the data cannot answer a question, write that down. An honest gap is better than a confident guess.
What does the scorecard mean for a Dumas dairy?
The Texas Panhandle is a hub of dairy growth, and plants in the region are part of how Texas milk reaches national and international customers. As a producer, your link to the scorecard is your plant's performance. If exports grow, the plant may have more demand for milk, and the market for your product may tighten.
Ask your buyer what share of its output goes abroad and which markets it serves. Local Extension help from Texas A&M AgriLife Extension can add regional context, and our dairy herd guide covers the on-farm basics.
How can you use the scorecard to plan?
Use it to test scenarios. What would your budget look like if export demand dropped for a year? What if it grew? Pair the scorecard with your own costs, and review risk tools such as Dairy Margin Coverage with FSA to confirm current terms. The worksheets at this farm money guide help with the arithmetic.
For lighter commentary on the economics of farming, farm.FM has an agribusiness section and dairy stories, including a farm.FM story on Texas dairy exports.
A yearly review is enough for most producers. Pick a quiet week, update the lines, and write three sentences on what changed. Over time, that habit becomes a useful record.
Sources and further reading
- USDA Foreign Agricultural Service: export markets and trade data
- U.S. International Trade Commission: tariff and trade data
- USDA Economic Research Service: farm economy data and analysis
- Texas Department of Agriculture: state agriculture agency
- Texas Comptroller: state tax and economic data
- Texas A&M AgriLife Extension: Texas extension service
Ask locally: Ask your plant's marketing team about its export share, and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension about regional export data.