In USDA’s most recent Milk Production report, May milk output was 19.7 million pounds, down 0.9% from the same month a year before. Milk per cow was averaged 2,105 pounds, down 3 pounds per cow from May of 2023.
The biggest contributor to the decline in milk production from last year to this year is the number of cows being milked around the country. There were 9.35 million head of milk cows in May, down 68,000 from a year ago. The national herd was up 5,000 head from April’s USDA report, though.
In the top 24 dairy states, milk production in May totaled 18.9 billion pounds, down 0.7% from a year ago. That followed a 0.4% decline in milk production in April compared to April 2023. Milk per cow was 2,122 pounds, which was a slight dip of 3 pounds compared to May of last year, and the milk cow population totaled 8.89 million head. Even though that was up 5,000 cows from April, it was 52,000 head less than May 2023.
Abby Bauer
June 27th, 2024
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