Americans Are Snarfing Butter Like Never Before

In news that would certainly please Butter Baroness Julia Child, Land O'Lakes Inc. is reportedly selling record amounts of butter. Bloomberg Quint reports that the American dairy giant expects 2020 butter sales to reach up to 300 million pounds, up more than 20% from a standard year.

Congratulations, team. We've done it.

So, what's behind the butter boom? As Bloomberg Quint reports, the COVID-19 pandemic is approaching the one-year mark (happy anniversary, all), and home cooks are starting to dish up richer meals and experimental baked goods. That's great news for retail-focused Land O'Lakes. (The boom may also be related to the fact that my parents' German Shepherd got caught downing four sticks of butter, box and all, over the weekend, but there's not much data on that.)

Regardless of the cause, the increase in butter sales is a huge plus for an industry that's been badly wounded by the pandemic. For example, earlier this summer, we saw countless reports of farmers dumping excess milk as restaurant and foodservice distributor sales declined and school milk orders plummeted. Now, butter demand has actually increased so much that the company has had to adapt its production lines, focusing production on 36-pound cases instead of their 18-pound counterparts.

What's next for America's dairy-crazed home cooks? Will Cream of Mushroom sales hit the roof? Will homebound chefs take the Velveeta market next? Either way, one thing is certain: America's dairy cattle are due for a vacation. And a teat massage.