California was the leading U.S. state in terms of the overall number of milk cows, with a total of over 1.7 million milk cows as of 2024. The total number of milk cows on farms in the United States shows that California holds a significant share of the total number of milk cows in the country. Unsurprisingly, California is also the leading milk producing state in the United States. Dairy industry in the U.S. According to the USDA, milk from U.S. farms is 90 percent water, with milk fat and skim solids making up the remaining 10 percent. Cow milk is a component of several dietary staples, such as cheese, butter, and yoghurt. Dairy is a very important industry in the United States, with this sector alone creating significant employment throughout the United States. The overall income of dairy farms in the U.S. amounted to about 51.3 billion U.S. dollars. Holtsein is the most popular breed of dairy cow farmed in the United States. Holstein have the highest milk production per cow in comparison to any other breed. Where is the U.S. positioned in the global dairy market? Topped only by the EU-27, the United States ranks as the second largest cow milk producer in the world, followed by India, Russia, and China. The United States also features among the top ten global milk exporters. The outlook for the future of the industry is also good, with milk production in the United States projected to steadily increase over the next years.

This EnviroAtlas dataset summarizes by county the number of farm operations with dairy cows and the number of heads they manage. The data come from the Census of Agriculture, which is administered every five years by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), and include the years 2002, 2007, 2012, and 2017. The Census classifies cattle managed on operations as beef cows, dairy cows, or other cattle (which encompasses heifers, steers, bulls, and calves). Only data regarding dairy cows are displayed in this layer. Operations are categorized into small, medium, or large, based on how many heads they manage. For each county and Census year, the dataset reports the number of farm operations that manage dairy cows, the number of heads on their property at the end of the Census year, and a breakdown of the operations into small, medium, and large. This dataset was produced by the US EPA to support research and online mapping activities related to EnviroAtlas. EnviroAtlas (https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas) allows the user to interact with a web-based, easy-to-use, mapping application to view and analyze multiple ecosystem services for the contiguous United States. The dataset is available as downloadable data (https://edg.epa.gov/data/Public/ORD/EnviroAtlas) or as an EnviroAtlas map service. Additional descriptive information about each attribute in this dataset can be found in its associated EnviroAtlas Fact Sheet (https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas/enviroatlas-fact-sheets).

This statistic shows the ten U.S. states with the highest amount of milk production from 2020 to 2023. California, is the leading producer, where over four million pounds of milk were produced in 2023. Milk productionDairy farming is an agricultural business which is engaged in the long-term milk production within the dairy industry. It is a large contributor to the overall economy in many states. California, Wisconsin, New York, Idaho and Pennsylvania had the highest milk supply.The number of U.S. dairy farms has sharply decreased in the last decades, while dairy operations have ever-larger numbers of cows concentrated on a single farm. These extensive dairy farming conditions with a large herd size and a high milk output are seen as a profitable way for the milk industry in order to provide milk at relatively low cost for the consumer. Due to its high milk volume, the main cow used for milk production is the Holstein-Friesian. However, with this intensification of milking cows there comes a corresponding concentration of manure production which causes problems and challenges for the environment such as the risk of elevated nitrogen levels or contaminated ground water.Due to these environmental impacts, many dairy operations in Wisconsin are now facing opposition regarding plans to expand their dairy herds.

Number of Businesses statistics on the Dairy Farms industry in United States

This EnviroAtlas dataset summarizes by county the number of farm operations with cattle and the number of heads they manage. The data come from the Census of Agriculture, which is administered every five years by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), and include the years 2002, 2007, 2012, and 2017. The Census classifies cattle managed on operations as beef cows, dairy cows, or other cattle (which encompasses heifers, steers, bulls, and calves). Data regarding all three categories are displayed in this layer. Operations are categorized into small, medium, or large, based on how many heads they manage. For each county and Census year, the dataset reports the number of farm operations that manage cattle, the number of heads on their property at the end of the Census year, and a breakdown of the operations into small, medium, and large. This dataset was produced by the US EPA to support research and online mapping activities related to EnviroAtlas. EnviroAtlas (https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas) allows the user to interact with a web-based, easy-to-use, mapping application to view and analyze multiple ecosystem services for the contiguous United States. The dataset is available as downloadable data (https://edg.epa.gov/data/Public/ORD/EnviroAtlas) or as an EnviroAtlas map service. Additional descriptive information about each attribute in this dataset can be found in its associated EnviroAtlas Fact Sheet (https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas/enviroatlas-fact-sheets).

The Census of Agriculture, produced by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA), provides a complete count of America's farms, ranches and the people who grow our food. The census is conducted every five years, most recently in 2017, and provides an in-depth look at the agricultural industry.This layer summarizes dairy production from the 2017 Census of Agriculture at the county level.This layer was produced from data downloaded using the USDA's QuickStats Application. The data was transformed using the Pivot Table tool in ArcGIS Pro and joined to the county boundary file provided by the USDA. The layer was published as feature layer in ArcGIS Online. Dataset SummaryPhenomenon Mapped: 2017 Dairy ProductionCoordinate System: Web Mercator Auxiliary SphereExtent: 48 Contiguous United States, Alaska, and HawaiiVisible Scale: All ScalesSource: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service QuickStats ApplicationPublication Date: 2017AttributesThis layer provides values for the following attributes. Note that some values are not disclosed (coded as -1 in the layer) to protect the privacy of producers in areas with limited production.Cattle - Operations with SalesCattle - Sales in US DollarsCattle - Sales in HeadDairy - Operations with SalesDairy - Sales in US DollarsAdditionally attributes of State Name, State Code, County Name and County Code are included to facilitate cartography and use with other layers.What can you do with this layer?This layer can be used throughout the ArcGIS system. Feature layers can be used just like any other vector layer. You can use feature layers as an input to geoprocessing tools in ArcGIS Pro or in Analysis in ArcGIS Online. Combine the layer with others in a map and set custom symbology or create a pop-up tailored for your users.For the details of working with feature layers the help documentation for ArcGIS Pro or the help documentation for ArcGIS Online are great places to start. The ArcGIS Blog is a great source of ideas for things you can do with feature layers.This layer is part of ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World that provides an easy way to find and explore many other beautiful and authoritative layers, maps, and applications on hundreds of topics.

The Census of Agriculture, produced by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA), provides a complete count of America's farms, ranches and the people who grow our food. The census is conducted every five years, most recently in 2017, and provides an in-depth look at the agricultural industry.This layer summarizes dairy production from the 2017 Census of Agriculture at the county level.This layer was produced from data downloaded using the USDA's QuickStats Application. The data was transformed using the Pivot Table tool in ArcGIS Pro and joined to the county boundary file provided by the USDA. The layer was published as feature layer in ArcGIS Online. Dataset SummaryPhenomenon Mapped: 2017 Dairy ProductionCoordinate System: Web Mercator Auxiliary SphereExtent: 48 Contiguous United States, Alaska, and HawaiiVisible Scale: All ScalesSource: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service QuickStats ApplicationPublication Date: 2017AttributesThis layer provides values for the following attributes. Note that some values are not disclosed (coded as -1 in the layer) to protect the privacy of producers in areas with limited production.Cattle - Operations with SalesCattle - Sales in US DollarsCattle - Sales in HeadDairy - Operations with SalesDairy - Sales in US DollarsAdditionally attributes of State Name, State Code, County Name and County Code are included to facilitate cartography and use with other layers.What can you do with this layer?This layer can be used throughout the ArcGIS system. Feature layers can be used just like any other vector layer. You can use feature layers as an input to geoprocessing tools in ArcGIS Pro or in Analysis in ArcGIS Online. Combine the layer with others in a map and set custom symbology or create a pop-up tailored for your users. For the details of working with feature layers the help documentation for ArcGIS Pro or the help documentation for ArcGIS Online are great places to start. The ArcGIS Blog is a great source of ideas for things you can do with feature layers. This layer is part of ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World that provides an easy way to find and explore many other beautiful and authoritative layers, maps, and applications on hundreds of topics.

Representative dairy farms were modeled using the Integrated Farm System Model with 20 farms in each of 6 regions of the United States for the years of 1971 and 2020 to determine improvements made in reducing environmental impacts over the 50-year period. Important data and information describing these farms are documented in these tables. These data include the farm location, number of cows and heifers maintained, milk produced, feeds and nutrient contents fed, crop areas, crop yields, fertilizer and lime application rates, irrigation water applied, milking and housing facilities, manure collection, storage and application methods used, and soil characteristics. These data are published as supplementary information for the article “Fifty years of environmental progress for United States dairy farms” published in the Journal of Dairy Science.

This statistic shows the income made by U.S. farms from dairy products from 2010 to 2022, with a forecast for 2023 and 2024. At the end of 2022, farms' cash receipts from dairy products, that is income, came to around 57.3 billion U.S. dollars.

In the U.S., there have been approximately three times more beef cows than dairy cows each year since 2001. As of 2024, it was estimated that there were about 28 million beef cows and only about 9.3 million dairy cows. Beef vs. dairy cows Both beef and dairy cows are bred for their respective purposes and farmers often look for different qualities in each. Dairy cows are often bigger, as they can produce a larger volume of milk. Beef cows on the other hand are generally shorter and there is more emphasis on their muscle growth, among other qualities. In 2022, over 28 billion pounds of beef were produced in the United States. U.S. milk production and consumption The United States was among the top consumers of milk worldwide in 2022, surpassed only by India and the European Union. The annual consumption of milk in the U.S. that year was just under 21 million metric tons. To keep up with this level of consumption, milk production in the U.S. has increased by over 60 billion pounds since 1999 and is expected to exceed 228 billion pounds by 2023. California and Wisconsin were the top producing states as of 2022, producing about 41.8 and 31.9 billion pounds of milk, respectively.

This EnviroAtlas dataset summarizes by county the number of farm operations with beef cows and the number of heads they manage. The data come from the Census of Agriculture, which is administered every five years by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), and include the years 2002, 2007, 2012, and 2017. The Census classifies cattle managed on operations as beef cows, dairy cows, or other cattle (which encompasses heifers, steers, bulls, and calves). Only data regarding beef cows are displayed in this layer. Operations are categorized into small, medium, or large, based on how many heads they manage. For each county and Census year, the dataset reports the number of farm operations that manage beef cows, the number of heads on their property at the end of the Census year, and a breakdown of the operations into small, medium, and large. This dataset was produced by the US EPA to support research and online mapping activities related to EnviroAtlas. EnviroAtlas (https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas) allows the user to interact with a web-based, easy-to-use, mapping application to view and analyze multiple ecosystem services for the contiguous United States. The dataset is available as downloadable data (https://edg.epa.gov/data/Public/ORD/EnviroAtlas) or as an EnviroAtlas map service. Additional descriptive information about each attribute in this dataset can be found in its associated EnviroAtlas Fact Sheet (https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas/enviroatlas-fact-sheets).

Washington State Department of Agriculture regulates dairy farm compliance with state water quality and food safety law. This includes regular inspections of dairy production fields and facilities. The milking facilities, which generally represent the heart of the operation, are mapped for internal and public use.This dataset includes all active cow dairy milking facilities. The data are updated quarterly. The dataset includes information about the spatial distribution of dairies in Washington State and information about each business itself. Pursuant to WAC 16-06-210, some information is expressed in ranges to meet non-disclosure requirements.The following is a description of the attributes included with the WA Dairies dataset:

Field
Description


AG ID
The agency given identification number assigned at the initial licensing of the dairy.


Facility Size
This is a general summary of the farm size. For DNMP purposes, size is determined by mature (milking + dry) animal numbers; with a dairy herd of up to 199 animals being a Small, 200-699 being medium, and 700 or greater being Large.


Business Name
The name which appears on the milking license.


Site Address
The street address of the farm milking facility (not the business mailing address).


Site City
The city wherein lies the milking facility.


County
The county wherein lies the milking facility.


DNMP Region
The Dairy Nutrient Management Program Region wherein lies the milking facility.


CAFO Status
This field denotes whether or not the dairy milking license has an associated Confined Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) permit.


CAFO ID
The permit identification number for the associated dairy.


Range Current Acres
The current and approximate acreage of land application or farming production land associated with the dairy.


Range Current Milking
The current and approximate number of milking animals currently in rotation.


Range Current Dry
The current and approximate number of mature dry animals currently in rotation.


Range Current Heifers
The current and approximate number of heifers (ages 6 months old to fresh) currently in rotation.


Range Current Calves
The current and approximate number of calves (ages 0 to 6 months) currently in rotation.


Latitude (WGS84)
Latitude Datum World Geodetic System 1984


Longitude (WGS84)
Longitude Datum World Geodetic System 1984


WRIA
The Water Resources Inventory Area (WRIA) wherein lies the milking facility.


Conservation District
The Conservation District serving the dairy business.


DNMA Status
Indicates whether the dairy is currently licensed and is regulated under food safety laws and dairy nutrient management act requirements.

This dataset provides information on 48 in Connecticut, United States as of May, 2025. It includes details such as email addresses (where publicly available), phone numbers (where publicly available), and geocoded addresses. Explore market trends, identify potential business partners, and gain valuable insights into the industry. Download a complimentary sample of 10 records to see what's included.

This dataset provides information on 112 in Colorado, United States as of June, 2025. It includes details such as email addresses (where publicly available), phone numbers (where publicly available), and geocoded addresses. Explore market trends, identify potential business partners, and gain valuable insights into the industry. Download a complimentary sample of 10 records to see what's included.

To assess the magnitude of greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes, nutrient runoff and leaching from dairy barnyards and to characterize factors controlling these fluxes, nine barnyards were built at the U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center Farm in Prairie du Sac, WI (latitude 43.33N, longitude 89.71W). The barnyards were designed to simulate outdoor cattle-holding areas on commercial dairy farms in Wisconsin. Each barnyard was approximately 7m x 7m; areas of barnyards 1-9 were 51.91, 47.29, 50.97, 46.32, 45.64, 46.30, 48.93, 48.78, 46.73 square meters, respectively. Factors investigated included three different surface materials (bark, sand, soil) and timing of cattle corralling. Each barnyard included a gravity drainage system that allowed leachate to be pumped out and analyzed. Each soil-covered barnyard also included a system to intercept runoff at the perimeter and drain to a pumping port, similar to the leachate systems. From October 2010 to October 2015, dairy heifers were placed onto experimental barnyards for approximately 7-day periods four times per year, generally in mid-spring, late-spring / early summer, mid-to-late summer and early-to-mid autumn. Heifers were fed once per day from total mixed rations consisting mostly of corn (maize) and alfalfa silages. Feed offered and feed refused were both weighed and analyzed for total nitrogen (N), carbon (C), phosphorus (P) and cell wall components (neutral detergent fiber, NDF). Leachate was pumped out of plots frequently enough to prevent saturation of surface materials and potential anaerobic conditions. Leachate was also pumped out the day before any gas flux measurements. Leachate total volume and nitrogen species were measured, and from “soil” barnyards the runoff was also measured. The starting bulk density, pH, total carbon (C) and total N of barnyard surface materials were analyzed. Decomposed bark in barnyards was replaced with new bark in 2013, before the spring flux measurements. Please note: the data presented here includes observations made in 2015; the original paper included observations through 2014 only. Gas fluxes (carbon dioxide, CO2; methane, CH4; ammonia, NH3; and nitrous oxide, N2O) were measured during the two days before heifers were corralled in barnyards, and during the two days after heifers were moved off the barnyards. During the first day of each two-day measurement period, gas fluxes were measured at two randomly selected locations within each barnyard. Each location was sampled once in the morning and once in the afternoon. During the second day, this procedure was repeated with two new randomly selected locations in each barnyard. This experiment was partially funded by a project called “Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation in Dairy Production Systems of the Great Lakes Region,” also known as the Dairy Coordinated Agricultural Project (Dairy CAP). The Dairy CAP is funded by the United States Department of Agriculture - National Institute of Food and Agriculture (award number 2013-68002-20525). The main goal of the Dairy CAP is to improve understanding of the magnitudes and controlling factors over GHG emissions from dairy production in the Great Lakes region. Using this knowledge, the Dairy CAP is improving life cycle analysis (LCA) of GHG production by Great Lakes dairy farms, developing farm management tools, and conducting extension, education and outreach activities. Resources in this dataset:Resource Title: Data_dictionary_DairyCAP_Barnyards. File Name: BYD_Data_Dictionary.xlsxResource Description: This is the data dictionary for the data from the paper "Gas emissions from dairy barnyards" by Mark Powell and Peter Vadas. Resource Software Recommended: Microsoft Excel 2016,url: https://products.office.com/en-us/excel Resource Title: DairyCAP_Barnyards. File Name: BYD_Project_Data.xlsxResource Description: This is the complete data from the paper: Powell, J. M. & Vadas, P. A. (2016). Gas emissions from dairy barnyards. Animal Production Science, 56, 355-361. Data are separated into separate spreadsheet tabs.Resource Software Recommended: Microsoft Excel 2016,url: https://products.office.com/en-us/excel Resource Title: Data_dictionary_DairyCAP_Barnyards. File Name: Data_Dictionary_BYD.csvResource Description: This is the data dictionary for the data from the paper "Gas emissions from dairy barnyards" by Mark Powell and Peter Vadas. Resource Title: GHG Data. File Name: BYD_GHG.csvResource Description: Greenhouse gas flux dataResource Title: Intake Data. File Name: BYD_Intake.csvResource Title: Leachate Data. File Name: BYD_Leachate.csvResource Title: Runoff Data. File Name: BYD_Runoff.csvResource Title: Surface Data. File Name: BYD_Surface.csvResource Title: TMR Data. File Name: BYD_TMR.csvResource Description: Total mixed ration data

Data is archived here: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4818011Data and code archive provides all the files that are necessary to replicate the empirical analyses that are presented in the paper "Climate impacts and adaptation in US dairy systems 1981-2018" authored by Maria Gisbert-Queral, Arne Henningsen, Bo Markussen, Meredith T. Niles, Ermias Kebreab, Angela J. Rigden, and Nathaniel D. Mueller and published in 'Nature Food' (2021, DOI: 10.1038/s43016-021-00372-z). The empirical analyses are entirely conducted with the "R" statistical software using the add-on packages "car", "data.table", "dplyr", "ggplot2", "grid", "gridExtra", "lmtest", "lubridate", "magrittr", "nlme", "OneR", "plyr", "pracma", "quadprog", "readxl", "sandwich", "tidyr", "usfertilizer", and "usmap". The R code was written by Maria Gisbert-Queral and Arne Henningsen with assistance from Bo Markussen. Some parts of the data preparation and the analyses require substantial amounts of memory (RAM) and computational power (CPU). Running the entire analysis (all R scripts consecutively) on a laptop computer with 32 GB physical memory (RAM), 16 GB swap memory, an 8-core Intel Xeon CPU E3-1505M @ 3.00 GHz, and a GNU/Linux/Ubuntu operating system takes around 11 hours. Running some parts in parallel can speed up the computations but bears the risk that the computations terminate when two or more memory-demanding computations are executed at the same time.This data and code archive contains the following files and folders:* READMEDescription: text file with this description* flowchart.pdfDescription: a PDF file with a flow chart that illustrates how R scripts transform the raw data files to files that contain generated data sets and intermediate results and, finally, to the tables and figures that are presented in the paper.* runAll.shDescription: a (bash) shell script that runs all R scripts in this data and code archive sequentially and in a suitable order (on computers with a "bash" shell such as most computers with MacOS, GNU/Linux, or Unix operating systems)* Folder "DataRaw"Description: folder for raw data filesThis folder contains the following files:- DataRaw/COWS.xlsxDescription: MS-Excel file with the number of cows per countySource: USDA NASS QuickstatsObservations: All available counties and years from 2002 to 2012- DataRaw/milk_state.xlsxDescription: MS-Excel file with average monthly milk yields per cowSource: USDA NASS QuickstatsObservations: All available states from 1981 to 2018- DataRaw/TMAX.csvDescription: CSV file with daily maximum temperaturesSource: PRISM Climate Group (spatially averaged)Observations: All counties from 1981 to 2018- DataRaw/VPD.csvDescription: CSV file with daily maximum vapor pressure deficitsSource: PRISM Climate Group (spatially averaged)Observations: All counties from 1981 to 2018- DataRaw/countynamesandID.csvDescription: CSV file with county names, state FIPS codes, and county FIPS codesSource: US Census BureauObservations: All counties- DataRaw/statecentroids.csvDescriptions: CSV file with latitudes and longitudes of state centroidsSource: Generated by Nathan Mueller from Matlab state shapefiles using the Matlab "centroid" functionObservations: All states* Folder "DataGenerated"Description: folder for data sets that are generated by the R scripts in this data and code archive. In order to reproduce our entire analysis 'from scratch', the files in this folder should be deleted. We provide these generated data files so that parts of the analysis can be replicated (e.g., on computers with insufficient memory to run all parts of the analysis).* Folder "Results"Description: folder for intermediate results that are generated by the R scripts in this data and code archive. In order to reproduce our entire analysis 'from scratch', the files in this folder should be deleted. We provide these intermediate results so that parts of the analysis can be replicated (e.g., on computers with insufficient memory to run all parts of the analysis).* Folder "Figures"Description: folder for the figures that are generated by the R scripts in this data and code archive and that are presented in our paper. In order to reproduce our entire analysis 'from scratch', the files in this folder should be deleted. We provide these figures so that people who replicate our analysis can more easily compare the figures that they get with the figures that are presented in our paper. Additionally, this folder contains CSV files with the data that are required to reproduce the figures.* Folder "Tables"Description: folder for the tables that are generated by the R scripts in this data and code archive and that are presented in our paper. In order to reproduce our entire analysis 'from scratch', the files in this folder should be deleted. We provide these tables so that people who replicate our analysis can more easily compare the tables that they get with the tables that are presented in our paper.* Folder "logFiles"Description: the shell script runAll.sh writes the output of each R script that it runs into this folder. We provide these log files so that people who replicate our analysis can more easily compare the R output that they get with the R output that we got.* PrepareCowsData.RDescription: R script that imports the raw data set COWS.xlsx and prepares it for the further analyses* PrepareWeatherData.RDescription: R script that imports the raw data sets TMAX.csv, VPD.csv, and countynamesandID.csv, merges these three data sets, and prepares the data for the further analyses* PrepareMilkData.RDescription: R script that imports the raw data set milk_state.xlsx and prepares it for the further analyses* CalcFrequenciesTHI_Temp.RDescription: R script that calculates the frequencies of days with the different THI bins and the different temperature bins in each month for each state* CalcAvgTHI.RDescription: R script that calculates the average THI in each state* PreparePanelTHI.RDescription: R script that creates a state-month panel/longitudinal data set with exposure to the different THI bins* PreparePanelTemp.RDescription: R script that creates a state-month panel/longitudinal data set with exposure to the different temperature bins* PreparePanelFinal.RDescription: R script that creates the state-month panel/longitudinal data set with all variables (e.g., THI bins, temperature bins, milk yield) that are used in our statistical analyses* EstimateTrendsTHI.RDescription: R script that estimates the trends of the frequencies of the different THI bins within our sampling period for each state in our data set* EstimateModels.RDescription: R script that estimates all model specifications that are used for generating results that are presented in the paper or for comparing or testing different model specifications* CalcCoefStateYear.RDescription: R script that calculates the effects of each THI bin on the milk yield for all combinations of states and years based on our 'final' model specification* SearchWeightMonths.RDescription: R script that estimates our 'final' model specification with different values of the weight of the temporal component relative to the weight of the spatial component in the temporally and spatially correlated error term* TestModelSpec.RDescription: R script that applies Wald tests and Likelihood-Ratio tests to compare different model specifications and creates Table S10* CreateFigure1a.RDescription: R script that creates subfigure a of Figure 1* CreateFigure1b.RDescription: R script that creates subfigure b of Figure 1* CreateFigure2a.RDescription: R script that creates subfigure a of Figure 2* CreateFigure2b.RDescription: R script that creates subfigure b of Figure 2* CreateFigure2c.RDescription: R script that creates subfigure c of Figure 2* CreateFigure3.RDescription: R script that creates the subfigures of Figure 3* CreateFigure4.RDescription: R script that creates the subfigures of Figure 4* CreateFigure5_TableS6.RDescription: R script that creates the subfigures of Figure 5 and Table S6* CreateFigureS1.RDescription: R script that creates Figure S1* CreateFigureS2.RDescription: R script that creates Figure S2* CreateTableS2_S3_S7.RDescription: R script that creates Tables S2, S3, and S7* CreateTableS4_S5.RDescription: R script that creates Tables S4 and S5* CreateTableS8.RDescription: R script that creates Table S8* CreateTableS9.RDescription: R script that creates Table S9

How many cows are in the world? India is home to the highest number of milk cows of any country, at over 61 million head as of 2024. That year, the European Union had the second most milk cows worldwide, at about 20 million head. Raising milk cows In the United States, the cost of feeding, housing, and caring for a single cow is around 2,260 U.S. dollars per 24 months. Though this price might seem high, when one considers that the average milk cow in the United States produces around 24.3 thousand pounds of milk per year, the investment might be worth it. Dairy production worldwide Although India is by far the largest producer of milk cows, the 27 member states of the European Union collectively produce nearly twice the amount of cow milk of India. The United States came in second place with just under 104 million metric tons of milk, followed by India with about 100 million metric tons. The European Union is also the leading producer of cheese worldwide.

Representative dairy farms in major dairy regions of the United States were modeled using the Integrated Farm System Model to quantify potential reductions in greenhouse gas emissions using various mitigation strategies. Important data and information describing these 14 farms are documented in this table. These data include the farm location, number of cows and heifers maintained, milk produced, feeds and nutrient contents fed, crop areas, crop yields, fertilizer and lime application rates, irrigation water applied, milking and housing facilities, manure collection, storage and application methods used, and soil characteristics. Simulated output information for feed consumption, nutrient losses, fossil energy use, water use, and greenhouse gas emissions are listed for each farm. These data are published as supplementary information for the article “Strategies for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions from US dairy farms toward a net zero goal” published in the Journal of Dairy Science.

The United States produced about ***** billion pounds of milk for human consumption in 2024. In 2000, this figure amounted to around ***** billion pounds. The volume of cow milk produced worldwide has risen steadily over the last several years. U.S. milk market While milk production has seen an increase over the last several years, milk retail sales have been dropping. The retail price of milk has been fluctuating for the past several years and peaked in 2022 at **** U.S. dollars per gallon. Leading U.S. milk brands Among the dairy brands in the U.S., private label milk has a higher level of sales than any name brand whole milk. Among name brands of whole milk, Hood generated the most dollar sales, at over *** million U.S. dollars in 2022. In the flavored milk category, the leading name brand was TruMoo, which sold nearly ** million units in 2018. However, private label flavored milk sold many more units than even the leading name brand.

The average net income per dairy farms in Canada amounted to approximately 246,264 Canadian dollars in 2022. This figure has fluctuated in recent years, with figures dipping to around 145,000 Canadian dollars in 2018 before increasing again. What is net income? According to U.S. agricultural policy, net farm income is the sum of money or value of goods which farm owners receive after all production expenditures have been paid. Net income can include monetary gains from farm production, as well as income from renting farm dwellings and the value of goods consumed on the farm. Canadian dairy trade Canada is a big player in the global trade of dairy products. In 2021, almost 400 million U.S. dollars’ worth of dairy and eggs were exported from Canada to the rest of the world. The United States was their biggest trading partner in that year, receiving around 221 million U.S. dollars’ worth of goods. Canada imports an even larger sum of dairy goods from the United States. In the same year, they received approximately 373.5 million U.S. dollars of dairy products.