Two of Every Three Dairy Farms Vanished in a Generation but Milk Production Rose by a Third at the Same Time

MITCHELL, S.D. (MITCHELLNOW) There are fewer dairy cows nationwide but they each produce more milk, and very large dairy farms with more than 2000 head are the source of 39% of the nation’s milk supply.  California and Wisconsin still dominate US milk production, accounting for one-third of the total output.

The dairy industry went through a substantial restructuring in the past 20 years, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).  There were 26,290 licensed dairy herds in 2023 compared to 70,375 herds in 2003 with milk production of 226.4 billion pounds in 2023 which was 33% larger than the 170.3 billion pounds of milk produced in 2023.