U.S. dairy: top U.S. states by number of milk cows 2022 | Statista (2024)

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U.S. dairy: top U.S. states by number of milk cows 2022 | Statista? ›

The top five milk production States in 2022 were California, Wisconsin, Idaho, Texas, and New York. Collectively, these 5 States produced more than 50 percent of the U.S. annual milk supply. In terms of production, milk cows generally perform best in areas with dry, cool weather.

The top five milk production States in 2022 were California, Wisconsin, Idaho, Texas, and New York. Collectively, these 5 States produced more than 50 percent of the U.S. annual milk supply. In terms of production, milk cows generally perform best in areas with dry, cool weather.

Large farms dominate in California, the Nation's largest milk-producing State. Farms with at least 500 cows accounted for 88 percent of California's production in 2006, and production there grew by more than half between 1994 and 2006, as the State's share of national produc- tion rose from 16 to 21 percent (table 2).

No. California produces the most milk in the U.S., according to 2021 data from the Department of Agriculture. California produced 41 million pounds of milk in 2021, accounting for 18.5% of the nation's total milk production.

21st-century farms

In 2017 the top five dairy states are, in order by total milk production; California, Wisconsin, New York, Idaho, and Texas. Dairy farming remains important in Florida, Minnesota, Ohio and Vermont.

Holstein cows make up an amazing 90% of the dairy industry in the United States, compared to other milking breeds such as Jersey or Guernsey.

The largest butter producing state by far is California with 33 percent of butter production (Chart III).

At the top of the list, the Almarai farm stands out as the largest dairy farm in terms of milk volume, located in Saudi Arabia. Almarai has more than 105,000 cows and produces 1.47 million tons of raw milk /year.

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Almarai the largest “dairy farm” by milk volume

Almarai from Saudi Arabia has the largest milk production with 1.47 million metric tons per year. This volume is similar to the milk production of Indonesia or Norway. Almarai has over 100,000 dairy cows.

Home: Dairy: The Dairy Cow: Dairy Cow Breeds

The major US dairy breeds are Ayrshire, Brown Swiss, Guernsey, Holstein, Jersey, and Milking Shorthorn. The largest dairy breed in terms of number of cows is the Holstein.

The total number of milk cows on farms in the United States shows that California holds a significant share of the total number of milk cows in the country. Unsurprisingly, California is also the leading milk producing state in the United States.

Wisconsin

For a long time, Wisconsin was the center of the US dairy industry, hence the state nickname, “the dairy state.” This changed in 1993, however, when California surpassed Wisconsin as the state with the most milk production. Nevertheless, Wisconsin remains a dairy powerhouse.

The U.S. produced 226 billion pounds of milk last year, basically the same as in 2022. The ranking of the top 10 milk-producing states was unchanged from last year: California, Wisconsin, Idaho, Texas, New York, Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, New Mexico and Washington.

Table III lists the most recent growth from 2020 to 2021. Wisconsin, Texas, and California remain at the top of the list. South Dakota had a very significant increase of 14.7 percent with the expansion and addition of cheese plants. Georgia dropped out of the top ten in 2021 with only a one percent increase.

Most have probably heard Wisconsin's famous moniker “The America's Dairyland.” This nickname is definitely befitting considering our long history with milk production.