Surplus?

(click on images to enlarge)

A couple people contacted me regarding a map (see above) published in a recent Dairy Market News (DMN) printed report. The map appears to show the U.S. is produces a surplus of milk. I have only praise for the work done by the staff at DMN. But,I am not certain how the numbers were arrived at.

I do know how I arrived at the above graph which shows the U.S. is a net deficit nation since 1996. I took USDA's "Milk Production" numbers and subtracted USDA's "commercial Disappearances" numbers.

Someone could launch an argument about the numbers. Let me say the USDA does not count and powdered dairy protein (MPCs & caseins)in the Commercial Disappearances data. Therefore, America is even shorter of milk than my graph above shows.