United States Department of Agriculture

National Agricultural Statistics Service

Southern Region News Release

Milk Production
Cooperating with the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries, Florida Department of Agriculture
and Consumer Services, Georgia Department of Agriculture, and South Carolina Department of Agriculture
Southern Regional Field Office · 355 East Hancock Avenue, Suite 100 · Athens, GA 30601 · (706) 546-2236
www.nass.usda.gov

April 23, 2018 Media Contact: Jim Ewing

January-March Milk Production up 1.5 Percent

Milk production in the United States during the January - March quarter totaled 54.4 billion pounds, up 1.5 percent from
the January - March quarter last year.

The average number of milk cows in the United States during the quarter was 9.41 million head, 9,000 head more than
the October - December quarter, and 38,000 head more than the same period last year.

Milk Cows and Production — States and United States: Preliminary January - March 2017 and 2018
Milk cows1 Milk production2
State Percent of previous Percent of previous
2017 2018 2017 2018
year year
(1,000 head) (1,000 head) (percent) (million pounds) (million pounds) (percent)
Alabama ........... 6.5 5.5 85 26.0 21.0 81
Florida .............. 123.0 124.0 101 678.0 663.0 98
Georgia ............ 84.0 85.0 101 502.0 479.0 95
South Carolina .. 15.0 15.0 100 68.0 68.0 100

United States .... 9,369.0 9,407.0 100 53,562.0 54,385.0 102

1
Includes dry cows. Excludes heifers not yet fresh.
2
Excludes milk sucked by calves.
Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service - Milk Production, April 2018

United States Quarterly Milk Production

Million pounds
56,000

55,500

55,000

54,500

54,000

53,500

53,000

52,500

52,000
January-March April-June July-September October-December

2017 2018

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