Size of the Dairy Industry: 2006

On the farm, 181.1 billion pounds (21.3 billion gallons) of milk was produced in the United States in 2006. The total number of cows was 9.112 million, with each cow producing about 19,951 pounds (2,347 gallons) of milk. The total dollar value of farm milk production in 2006 was $23.4 billion.

In 2006, the U.S. milk supply use by product was:

• Fluid Milk: 32.4% of the total milk supply went into these products: beverage milk, milk products, and cream and cream products
• Cheese: 40%
• Butter: 13.6%
• Frozen dairy products: 7.8%
• Evaporated and condensed milk: 1.1%
• Used on farms where produced: 0.6%
• Other uses: 4.5%

Source: Dairy Facts, 2007 Edition