During the past decade, milk flow grew by 29.2 billion pounds or 3.4 billion gallons in the United States. That represented a growth rate of 16.5 percent over the previous 10 years, according to USDA data released in the February issue of Milk Production. Nationally, milk production rose at a brisk 2.4 percent, growing by 4.9 billion pounds to 206.1 billion pounds last year. The total once again represented a new record for milk, and it was the largest expansion in milk output since 2006's 2.8 percent growth.
Nearly all the additional raw materials for dairy products came from improved milk per cow as the nation's rolling herd average jumped 2 percent and stood at 22,259 pounds or 2,588 gallons per cow. An additional 36,000 cows (+0.4 percent) across the country contributed to the remainder of the growth. The national dairy herd averaged 9.257 million cows.
There was great variation in milk per cow. Those in New Mexico averaged 25,093 pounds while 11,667 was the yield in Alaska. Lowest milk average on the mainland was Louisiana at 13,600 pounds.
February 23, 2015
