- Milk is produced nationwide across all 50 states. Over half of the volume comes from just five states; California, Wisconsin, Idaho, New York, and Pennsylvania. (Source: USDA)
- U.S. milk production is triple the volume of New Zealand and Australia combined. (Source: USDA)
- The average U.S. cow produces 10,150 kg of milk per year. This compares to per cow production of about 6,200 kg in the European Union, 5,800 kg in Australia and 4,100 kg in New Zealand. (Source: USDA)
- The U.S. is the world’s largest single producer of milk, cheese, butter, milk powder, and whey ingredients.
- 99% of California dairy farms are family owned.
- Nearly 46% of all California milk goes to make California Cheese.
- Wisconsin has the most dairy cows, Texas the most beef cows.
- Wisconsin has led the United States in cheese making since 1910.
- On average, each American eats more than 31 pounds of cheese per year.
- California is home to more than 1,300 dairy farms.
- California is the largest dairy producing state in the U.S. and is the perfect place for dairy.
Northern California
Rain means green and green means pastures. The climate in this area allows for a lot of pasture-based grazing that mimics the way big herds of migratory animals live in the wild. Every time a cow leaves the milk barn, they have a new, fresh areas of grass to graze.
Tulare Count
Tulare County is the largest dairy-producing county in the nation. It also has the most cows with 450,000.
Central/Southern California加
Farms in this region can get warm. To help make sure the cows are comfortable, farms here use free stall barns to keep the cows cool throughout the summer. On the plus side all that sunshine means farms can grow crops during multiple growing seasons.