Farm Level Production Summary
U.S. farm milk production reached a record 192.819 billion pounds in 2010 after declining between 2008
and 2009. Last year’s production was nearly 3.5 billion pounds higher than 2009, and over 2.8 billion
pounds higher than the prior record set in 2008. The 2010 record was the combination of the highest
reported milk output per cow on record, 21,149 pounds, and the fewest number of milk cows in the U.S.
herd, 9.1 million, since 2005.
Farm cash receipts from milk and cream in the U.S. totaled nearly $31.4 billion in 2010. This represents
10.2 percent of all farm cash receipts in the U.S. The states where farm milk sales account for more
than one-third of all farm cash receipts include Vermont (72.8%), New York (51.4%), Wisconsin (47.5%),
New Mexico (37.9%) and Idaho (34.3%). States where farm milk sales account for less than 1 percent of
all farm cash receipts include Louisiana, Arkansas, Alabama, Mississippi and North Dakota.
There were no changes in the rankings of the top ten milk producing states between 2009 and 2010,
with California’s 40.4 billion pounds topping the list and accounting for nearly 21% of all U.S. farm milk
production. Wisconsin, New York, Idaho and Pennsylvania fi lled out the top fi ve milk producing states.
In total, the top ten milk producing states accounted for 74.0% of all U.S. farm milk production, up from
73.5% in 2009 and 70.2% in 2000. The top twenty states accounted for more than 90% of all U.S. farm
milk production for the fi rst time ever.
The total number of U.S. farm operations with one or more milk cows declined in 2010 to an average of
62,500 continuing a long term trend of fewer dairy farms every year. The number of such farms with
fewer than 100 cows declined between 2009 and 2010 in every size category (1-29, 30-49, and 50-99
head), while the number of farms with 100-199 milk cows remained the same. Larger herd-size farms
(200-499, 500-999, 1000-1999, and over 2000) all experienced growth in numbers between 2009 and
2010. These herd-size trends resulted in an increase in the average number of milk cows per farm of
4.3 head in 2010 to 145.9 milk cows.
U.S. farm milk marketings regulated under Federal Milk Marketing Orders (FMMOs) reached a record
high of 126.9 billion pounds in 2010. However, as a percent of all U.S. farm milk production this
accounted for was 66%, the same as in 2009, and far below the record 76% set in 2002. The number
of dairy farms shipping farm milk regulated by FMMOs fell in 2010 by 759 to 45,918, which was about
73.5% of all U.S. farm operations with milk cows. The daily average milk delivery per farm regulated by
FMMOs increased by over 4.5% in 2010 to 7,572 pounds.
