News

October milk production up 0.2 percent

More dairy cows and improved production increased milk supplies incrementally last month.

Production in the U.S. during October totaled nearly 19 billion pounds with production per cow up three pounds from last year.

USDA says farmers increased the dairy herd size by 10,000 head from last year and 19,000 from the prior month.

Milk production remains lower than January totals, but the herd size has grown by 12,000 cows since the beginning of the year.

Top states increasing milk production during October include South Dakota (+9.6%), Texas (+8.8%), Kansas (+4.2%), and Iowa (+3.3%). The largest milk production declines were reported in New Mexico and California.

Michigan dairy cows had the highest output at 2,290 pounds per cow, more than 280 pounds above the national average.