Thursday, September 1st 2016
July milk production in the top 23 producing states hit 16.8 billion pounds, up 1.4 percent from July 2015, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture preliminary data. The 50-state total, at 17.9 billion pounds, was also up 1.4 percent. Revisions raised the original June estimate 9 million pounds to 16.7 billion pounds, up 1.6 percent from 2015. July cow numbers in the 23 states totaled 8.65 million head, up 2,000 from June, 19,000 more than a year ago and a nine-year high, according to the Dairy and Food Market Analyst. Output per cow was impacted by hot temperatures in the dairy regions but still averaged 1,946 pounds, up 24 pounds from a year ago and the highest for July since the series began in 2003. Idaho edged out New York in July for the No. 3 spot, up 3.7 percent from a year ago, thanks to a nice 45-pound gain per cow and 9,000 more cows. New York was up 4 percent on a 75-pound per cow gain and a thousand more cows. Pennsylvania inched up 0.3 percent on a 5-pound gain per cow, and Minnesota was up 1.5 percent on a 20-pound gain per cow and 2,000 more cows. South Dakota registered the biggest gain, up 5.9 percent, despite a 25-pound loss per cow. Cow numbers were up 8,000. Michigan was up 4.5 percent, thanks to 11,000 more cows and 40 pounds more per cow. New Mexico, still suffering from Winter Storm Goliath, was down 1.2 percent on 13,000 fewer cows but is fighting back and saw output per cow jump 60 pounds. Texas was up 4.4 percent on a 45-pound gain per cow and 9,000 more cows than a year ago. Washington State was again unchanged. Output per cow was up 10 pounds, but there were 1,000 fewer cows milked. The report is generally viewed as bearish. U.S. dairy farmers culled fewer cows in July than in June and compared to a year ago, according to USDA’s latest Livestock Slaughter report. An estimated 213,300 head were slaughtered under federal inspection in the month, down 10,400 head from June and 25,300 head, or 10.6 percent, below July 2015. Culling in the January-to-July period totaled 1,662,600 head, down 32,700 head, or 1.9 percent, from 2015.