Dairy herd growth in some regions and more efficient cows pushed September milk production higher.
Milk production in the top 24 states increased 2.7 percent in September, with production totaling 18.7 billion pounds. Per cow production jumped 18 pounds from the year before.
USDA says farmers increased the dairy herd size by 162,000 head from last year, and 24,000 from August to 9.3 million head.
The agency also revised August production slightly higher to include an additional 132 million pounds of milk, or an increase of 2.5 percent from 2025.
Top states increasing milk production during September include Kansas (+14.7%), South Dakota (+7.9%), and Indiana (+7.4%).
Michigan dairy cows had the highest output at 2,290 pounds per cow, nearly 300 pounds above average.
EDITOR’S TAKE:
Additional production will likely put some downward pressure on milk prices at the farm gate. Demand has been steady but cannot keep pace with supply. In all fairness, however, it is very difficult to keep milk production perfectly aligned with demand, thus, price fluctuations are nothing new. But don’t let that sour you on putting dairy farmers at or near the very top of your prospect list. They purchase a lot of trucks every single year.
