A surge of nationwide cheese demand driven at least in part by the Trump administration’s Farmers to Families Food Box program sparked wild swings in dairy markets and fueled a new debate over changes in federal milk pricing policy made in the 2018 farm bill.

Though a grocery shopper may remain oblivious to the financial collapse of Dean Foods, a major milk processor and manufacturer, the industry is guessing how the firm's trip though Chapter 11 bankruptcy and expected sale to the Dairy Farmers of America will all shake out.