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 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.
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.
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.