The “traditional” dairy states of the Midwest and Northeast produce nearly the same amount of milk as the “modern” states.
California eclipsed Wisconsin, “America’s Dairyland,” as the top milk-producing state a generation ago, a change that symbolized the rising significance of dairy farms in the West and Southwest with massive herds generating a flood of milk. According to a Monday study, the competition is now more evenly matched. The “traditional” dairy states of the Midwest and Northeast produce nearly the same amount of milk as the “modern” states.
“Traditional and modern dairy states have grown in very different ways,” said University of Illinois agricultural economists Jared Hutchins and Joe Janzen on the farmdoc daily blog. “Rising milk yield accounts for the majority of production growth in traditional dairy states.” Modern dairy states have increased output by boosting both milk yield and overall cow numbers.”
Traditional states have improved milk output per cow by 18% since 2010, compared to 8% in contemporary states. “One possibility is that traditional dairy states are investing less in growing their cow numbers and more in better management, enhanced milking technology, and more productive genetics,” the researchers stated. According to them, zoning and environmental rules may also have a role.
In the last two years, the number of dairy cows in the United States has began to level down. “If growth in the U.S. dairy herd does level off, we may even see modern dairy states follow the lead of the traditional states and drive growth through yield improvement rather than more cows,” the researchers stated.
