From 2010 to 2016, three states accounted for 44 percent of growth in U.S. milk production.
Three guesses as to the names of those three states?
Hint: Think very traditional dairy areas.
- Wisconsin climbed 4.1 billion pounds or 10.2 percent.
- Michigan grew 2.5 billion pounds, a whopping 30.6 percent six-year growth rate.
- New York, a state that once led the nation in milk production prior to Wisconsin and California, climbed 2 billion pounds for a 16.1 percent growth rate.
Together, these long-standing dairy states accounted for 8.7 billion of the 19.6 billion pounds in U.S. milk growth from 2010 to 2016. Those trends do not show any sign of slowing based on this year’s early production data.
Early in this production growth, nearby dairy processors easily found homes for the extra milk supply. However, in recent times, milk has been discounted in some areas, as processing plants simply cannot absorb all the extra milk.
What other states accounted for major growth?
Newer dairy growth states accounted for the next largest share in milk growth from 2010 to 2016. This group included:
- Texas, up 1.95 billion pounds or 22 percent.
- Idaho, up 1.89 billion pounds or 15 percent.
- Colorado, up 1.1 billion pounds or 39 percent.
