Cow numbers highest in over a decade

Cow numbers are way up. Since 2004, there are 305,000 additional cows on U.S. dairy farms putting total cow numbers at 9.315 million. The growth has been gradual, ranging from 2005’s 0.3 percent and topping out with this year’s 1.4 percent. To put the current cow population in perspective, the last time we had over 9.315 million cows was 1996.

Overall, total milk production was up to 190 billion pounds which is a 2.3 percent increase from the previous year. That 2.3 percent increase is right in the middle of the 2.1, 2.8, and 3.5 percent gains in national milk production during the prior three years.

Growth in milk per cow slowed for the fourth consecutive year, dropping to 1.4 percent compared to 1.6 to 3.2 percent in the previous three years. The order of the top 10 states changed slightly: Texas (+14 percent rose from eighth to seventh; New Mexico (+7.9 percent) rose one spot to eighth, while Michigan (+1.8 percent) fell from seventh to ninth.

For a full report on 2008 milk production, check out our March 10 issue.