Dairy Industry

An Overview of the Dairy Industry in Georgia

Georgia Agricultural Education Curriculum Office

Dr. Frank Flanders and Scott Register
April 2006
 Objectives
Students will be able to:
 Explain the importance of the dairy industry in
Georgia.
 Name 4 dairy products.
 Name 3 or more of the 6 major dairy breeds.
 State key facts about each breed.
 Name the top three dairy producing counties.
 Rank the Dairy Industry compared to other Georgia
agricultural commodities.
 Rank Georgia with other states in dairy production.
 Why is the dairy industry important?

Dairy products comprise a major part of our

diet.
The average American consumes about 66
gallons of milk per year. This includes not
only drinking milk but also products that use
milk.
Milk production in Georgia totaled 1.47
billion pounds from 660 dairy farms in
2002. Production is steadily increasing
each year.
Georgia currently has over 84,000
dairy cows.
 Dairy Products
There are over 30 main types of dairy products.
However, dairy products are a part of almost all recipes and foods.

Most common categories are:

Milk Yogurt
Cheese Ice Creams
Sour Cream Butter
 Dairy Cow Breeds
There are 5 major dairy breeds

Holstein
Brown Swiss
Jersey
Guernsey
Ayrshire
Milking Shorthorn
 Holstein

Originated in Europe
Distinguished by their black and white markings
(sometimes black and red, as a recessive gene)
On average 9 out of 10 dairy cows are Holstein
Produces the most milk per cow of all the breeds
This is the breed made more popular by Chick-fil-A® ads.
They are not a beef breed, but the ads are clever and effective. However, a large portion of beef comes from
Holstein steers and past production cows.
 Brown Swiss

Originated in Switzerland
Colors can range from nearly white to very dark brown
Most resilient breed, can withstand harsh elements
 Jersey

Originated in the Isle of Jersey, off the French coast

Second most popular breed to the Holstein
Smallest of all the dairy breeds
Milk contains the highest butterfat content
 Guernsey

Originated in Isle of Guernsey, in the English Channel

Their color is a shade of fawn with white markings
Consumes 20 to 30 percent less feed per pound of milk produced than larger dairy breeds
Total number of this breed is decreasing
 Ayrshire

Originated in Ayr in Scotland

Their color varies from light to deep cherry red, mahogany, brown, or a
combination of these colors with white. Some are all white.
Formerly used as dual-purpose breed for dairy and meat producers
 Milking Shorthorn

Originated in Northeastern England in the Valley of the Tees River

Can range in colors from either red, red and white, white or roan
Most versatile of all breeds
Originally used for meat, later developed more for the milking industry
 Dairy Producing Counties in
Georgia
In 2004 the counties with the most:

Head of dairy cattle Average milk production per head of

cattle – in pounds
1 Macon 9,000
1 Randolph 22,300
2 Putnam 8,500
2 Laurens 22,125
3 Morgan 6,200
3 Sumter 22,100
4 Brooks 6,000
4 Ware 22,049
5 Appling 4,500
5 Cherokee 22,000
6 Mitchell 3,820
7 Greene 3,000
8 Burke 2,800
9 Wilkes 2,800
10 Jasper
 Georgia’s Commodity Value
Rank by Percent of total
Item sale Sales ($1000) sales

Poultry and eggs 1 2,780,214 56.6

Vegetables, melons, and potatoes 2 383,556 7.8

Cotton and cotton seed 3 318,013 6.5

Nursery, greenhouse, floriculture 4 315,324 6.4

Other crops and hay 5 246,936 5

Cattle and calves 6 240,070 4.9

Milk and other dairy products from
cows 7 212,720 4.3

Fruits, tree nuts and berries 8 122,151 2.5

Grains, oilseeds, dry beans, and dry
peas 9 102,464 2.1

Tobacco 10 89,058 1.8

 US Milk Production
Top milk production states

1 California
2 Wisconsin
3 New York
4 Pennsylvania
5 Idaho

Georgia ranks 25 in this ranking

 Interesting Facts
 It takes 2.5 gallons of milk to make one gallon of ice cream.
 It takes 10 gallons of milk to make one pound of cheese.
 It takes two gallons of water to create one gallon of milk.
 500 gallons of blood have to pass through the udder to
produce one gallon of milk.
 The average cow produces 6-8 gallons of milk per day. That
is 96 to 128 glasses of milk per day.
 You would have to eat 2.5 cups of broccoli or 1 cup of turnip
greens to equal the calcium in two servings of dairy products.
 Assessment
1. Name 4 dairy products.
2. Which of the following is the most accurate about the number of dairy cattle
in Georgia?
A. 4,568 B. Over 1,000
C. Over 84,000 D. Over 1,000,000
3. Name 3 of the 6 major dairy breeds.
4. Which is the most versatile dairy breed?

5. Which breed of dairy cattle are typically black and white?

6. Which breed of dairy cattle produces the most butterfat in their milk?
A. Brown Swiss B. Jersey
C. Ayrshire D. Holstein
 Assessment Continued
7. Name one of the top dairy counties in Georgia.

8. Milk products rank _____ in Georgia’s total commodities

worth.
A. 4 B. 1
C. 56 C. 7
9. What is Georgia’s ranking in the US for milk production?
A. 25 B. 2
C. 10 C. 50
10. What state ranks number one in milk production?
A. Ohio B. Kentucky
C. Wisconsin D. California
 Quiz Key
1. Milk, Yogurt, Cheese, Ice Cream, Sour
Cream, Butter (and any other specifics)
2. C. Over 84,000
3. Holstein, Brown Swiss, Jersey, Guernsey,
Ayrshire, Milking Shorthorn
4. Milking Shorthorn
5. Holstein
6. Jersey
 Quiz Key Continued
7. Macon, Putnam, Morgan, Brooks, and
Appling are the top five
8. C. 7
9. A. 25
10. D. California
 References

 http://www.georgiastats.uga.edu/sasweb/cgi-bin/broker
 http://www.georgiastats.uga.edu/sasweb/cgi-bin/broker
 http://www.fmmacentral.com/PDFdata/msb200502.pdf
 http://www.dailyping.com/archive/2000/05/28/