Wisconsin is “America’s Dairyland” — it says so on the state license plates, although California became the largest milk-producing state years ago. And now, Idaho and New York State are vying for third place, says Ag Day TV.
The boom in yogurt has spurred production in both states. There are 620,000 dairy cows in New York State, with consolidation boosting herd size slightly over the past few years. Kendra Lamb, a dairy farmer in Oakfield, told Ag Day TV that farmers are producing more milk per cow, putting a strain on processing capacity. “We don’t always have a home [a buyer] for our milk,” she said.
Idaho has 579,000 dairy cows and the number is climbing, while consolidation means fewer dairy farms. Nearly 100 of the state’s dairy farms have herds of 2,000 cows or more. Milk production has doubled since 2000, says Tony VanderHulst, president of the Idaho Dairymen’s Association.
The USDA issues a monthly Milk Production report, and the next issue is due Thursday. The report issued in June showed California producing 3.5 billion pounds of milk and Wisconsin at 2.6 billion pounds, with New York recording 1.29 billion and Idaho barely behind with 1.26 billion.