Milk per Cow Increases Throughout Dairy Industry

Milk per cow is increasing and with that, producer revenue per cow is increasing.  Chart I shows the rate of growth for milk per cow.  The increasing rate is currently 0.7% annually.  The prior post covered milk production, which is static, and with a decreasing number of dairy cows, milk per cow increases. 

The top five milk-producing states are covered in detail in this post, and three are showing significant increases in milk per cow.  The trend to more milk per cow is consistent in almost every state.

 Data in this post is based on 12-month moving averages to reduce monthly volatility.

Chart I plots the annual percent increase in milk per cow in the entire U.S.  The most recent annual increase is 0.7%. Over the five years in the chart, milk per cow decreased in only one month.

Chart I – Milk per Cow Percent Annual Change in U.S.
Chart I – Milk per Cow Percent Annual Change in U.S.

Chart II plots the change in the number of cows.  There is a consistent long-term decrease in the number of milk cows.  Currently there are 9.34 million cows in the U.S., down from the high of 9.46 million.

Screenshot 2025-01-23 at 11.13.33 AM
Chart II – Annual Percent Change in U.S. Milk Cows
California’s milk per cow has changed from a high of 2.1% increase in 2021 to a low of -2.2% in 2023. There is no significant long-term change in California’s milk per cow.
Screenshot 2025-01-23 at 11.20.26 AM
Chart III – Milk per Cow Percent Annual Change in California
Wisconsin has a record over the five-year span of only increases in milk per cow.  Currently, milk per cow is increasing 1.1% annually.
Screenshot 2025-01-23 at 11.22.14 AM
Chart IV – Milk per Cow Percent Annual Change in Wisconsin
Texas’s record, Chart V, shows negative increases in milk per cow in late 2023 through early 2024.  However, they are now increasing milk per cow at a very high rate, currently at 2.4% annually.  This is the largest increase of any of the 24 states that report milk per cow.
Chart V – Milk per Cow Percent Annual Change in Texas
Chart V – Milk per Cow Percent Annual Change in Texas
Idaho, Chart VI, has some increases and some decreases in milk per cow, but overall has minimal increases in milk per cow.
Chart VI – Milk per Cow Percent Annual Change in Idaho
Chart VI – Milk per Cow Percent Annual Change in Idaho
New York state, Chart VII, like Wisconsin, has a clear record of all positive monthly increases over the last five years.
Chart VII – Milk per Cow Percent Annual Change in New York
Chart VII – Milk per Cow Percent Annual Change in New York

Table I below shows the states with the highest milk per cow.  Four of the states listed are in the largest five covered above.  The only one missing is California which is ranked 15th in the list of 24 states reporting milk per cow.

By comparison, at the bottom of the ranking list for milk per cow is Florida.  Florida has the highest-paid milk because it is nearly 90% fluid milk for drinking, which is the highest class of milk.

The lowest state, Florida, has a 27% lower milk per cow than the highest-ranked state, Michigan.

Table I – Highest Ranked States in Milk per Cow

SUMMARY

Milk per cow is one of the important parameters in maximizing producer revenue.  Three states currently stand out in making advances. Texas’s 2.4% increase in 2024 is amazing. Both Wisconsin and New York stand out with very steady increases over the last five years.  Does that mean that these states are better managed?

The science of producing more milk per cow is well-known and well-documented.  Why are some producers slower in increasing milk per cow?  Innovation and change are necessary to “stay in the game.”

The next post will review the most recent data on component levels of butterfat and milk protein.  The combination of more milk per cow and more components per pound of milk will increase revenue.

Other recent posts are available at this link, and older posts are available at this link.

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