May 2, 2007

US Milk, Cheese Production Up in 2006

Milk production in the US has increased by 2.8 percent in 2006 to 182 billion pounds as the rate per cow, at 19,951 pounds was 386 pounds above 2005, data from the National Ag Statistics Service show.

The annual average number of milk cows on farms was 9.11 million head, up 69,000 head from 2005.

Cash receipts from marketings of milk during 2006 were 12.3 percent lower than 2005 at a total of US$23.4 billion. Producer returns averaged US$12.97 per hundredweight, 14.6 percent below 2005. Marketings totalled 181 billion pounds, 2.8 percent above 2005. Marketings include whole milk sold to plants and dealers and milk sold directly to consumers.

An estimated 1.14 billion pounds of milk or 0.3 percent more than 2005 were used on farms where it was produced. Calves were fed 87 percent of this milk, with the remainder consumed in producer households.

Meanwhile, total cheese production, excluding cottage cheeses, was 9.53 billion pounds, 4.2 percent above 2005 production with Wisconsin leading all states with 25.9 percent of the total production.

Italian-type cheese posted 4.9 percent increase from 2005 with 3.99 billion pounds and accounted for 41.8 percent of total cheese in 2006. Mozzarella accounted for 78.8 percent of the Italian production followed by Provolone with 8.0 percent and Ricotta with 6.1 percent. California was the leading state in Italian cheese production with 29.7 percent of the production.

American type cheese production was 3.91 billion pounds, 2.7 percent above 2005 and accounted for 41.0 percent of total cheese in 2006. Wisconsin again led all states in American type cheese production with 21.0 percent of the production.

Butter 2006 production in the United States totalled 1.45 billion pounds or 7.5 percent above 2005. California accounted for 31.0 percent of the production, followed by Wisconsin with 26.2 percent.