Is the Growth in Milk Production Coming from More Cows or More Productive Cows?

The last post covered the growth in milk production. The growth in milk production over five years is 2.4% (see this post). The cow count for the U.S. has grown by just .5% over the same 5 years. This post will cover in detail the monthly growth in milk per cow. Most states have increased milk per cow, and a few have lower milk per cow. All data in this post is based on 12-month moving averages to avoid annual cycles.

Chart I below shows the growth in milk per cow for the U.S. The growth in milk per cow was strong beginning of 2021 but since has slowed. In 2025 there is almost no growth.

Table I below compares the five largest dairy states progress on increasing milk per cow. They are the biggest contributors to the U.S. average and make up 55% of the U.S. milk. Following Table I are charts of the progress made in each state.

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dairybusiness.com

Dec. 11, 2025