With prices ranging $1,170 to $1,250 per head, replacement values in the Great Lake States region are well below the U.S. average of $1,320. That’s according to the most recent issue of USDA’s Agricultural Prices. Just one year ago, herd replacements fetched $1,620. Clearly, these low prices are a sign of low milk prices and a distressed dairy economy.

Lowest in that group was Ohio at $1,100 for a dairy replacement set to reach the milking string. As for the others states in the Upper Midwest and Northeast:

$1,170 — Minnesota

$1,200 — Indiana and New York

$1,220 — Iowa

$1,250 — Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.

The only state tracked by USDA that would have been among that group had it been near the Great Lakes was Virginia at $1,200. As for Michigan, which is brimming with milk, replacements sold for a $1,300 per head.

$1,500 topside

Of course, to arrive at a $1,320 average, there must be states well above those quoted prices. Leading the pack, each with a $1,500 value, was Idaho, New Mexico, and Texas. A quartet also posted a $1,450 average — Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, and Oregon.