PA Dairy Industry Performance

Pennsylvania ranks 5th in the U.S. in total milk production, producing 10.74 billion pounds in 2007. The state has 554,000 cows that average 19,390 pounds per year. The state ranks fourth in total cow numbers and 15th in milk production per cow. Improving milk production per cow is the most significant way to improve on-farm profitability, with every three pounds in milk contributing an additional $100 in profit per year. Every additional cow added to an existing facility has the potential to increase net profits on that farm by $2,000 annually.

Top 10!

Industry Scorecard

The Pennsylvania Dairy Task Force set an industry-wide goal of reaching 10.8 billion pounds of milk. To learn more about this goal, click on the "Top 10!" logo. Efforts coordinated through the center and task force focus on programs to help the commonwealth reach that goal.

To track our performance toward that goal, the Center for Dairy Excellence publishes a monthly “PA Dairy Industry Performance Scorecard,” which looks at key factors supporting the growth of Pennsylvania’s dairy industry and evaluates trends affecting Pennsylvania's dairy farms.

Willard Lemaster, risk management specialist with the Center and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, also releases a monthly "Market and Management Update," looking at key trends influencing producer prices. Click here to view that.

The September edition of the Pennsylvania Dairy Industry Performance Scorecard shows:

  • Milk production for the month fell more than 3 percent to 836 million pounds, with the rolling 12-month production down 0.1 percent.
  • Production per cow per day held steady at 59 pounds, and the state's total dairy herd held at 548,000 head.
  • The percentage of herds below 200,000 SCC was up more than 9 percent to 23 percent of the total number of herds on DHIA, while the percentage of herds averaging 80 pounds per day or above fell to 6 percent.

Click here to view this month's scorecard

View Background on PA Industry Dynamics

Click here for Dr. David Galligan’s Visual Analytics on National and Statewide Trends.