By Kelly L. Heckaman
Extension Educator

Since 1937 the United States dairy industry celebrates all things dairy in the month of June. Although the month is almost over, I still wanted to share with you some information about the dairy industry. Growing up on a dairy farm makes me probably more partial than most to the month long celebration. I enjoy any opportunity to educate others about the dairy industry in the county, state, and nation.

At Warsaw’s recent First Friday the Kosciusko County 4-H Dairy members and committee celebrated June Dairy Month with ice cream and a dairy wheel of knowledge. This is where I quickly learned that many members of our community had no or little knowledge of the dairy industry here in our county let alone the state and nation.

Let’s start with some county information. As of last year we have 27 dairy farms in Kosciusko County with approximately 3,500 milk cows. That gives us an average herd size of 129 cows per farm. As with all things in agriculture this trend continues to grow. Kosciusko County ranks tenth highest in Indiana based on the total number of cows in our county. This compares to Jasper County which is ranked number 1 at 24,500 cows. For number of dairy farms LaGrange County is number 1 with 302.

In the fall of 2014 the state of Indiana had 179,000 dairy cows. Over the last 20 years the number of cows has slowly trended upwards. Indiana is a great location to milk cows. We are close to a high percentage of the population in the United States and we have an abundance of feed resources. Indiana had 1,262 dairy farms which gives an approximate farm size of 141 cows per farm. When looking at national rankings, Indiana ranks 14 highest for both milk production and number of cows.

So, how much milk to Indiana dairy cows make? In 2013 the average cow during the year made 21,761 pounds of milk or 2,530 gallons of milk. For you trivia buffs – it takes 8.6 pounds of milk to make one gallon. Total Indiana production was 3.83 billion pounds worth an estimated $796 million. Wow – the Indiana dairy industry really is important to the agriculture economy.

What else should you know about the dairy industry? What about who owns the dairy farms in our county, state and nation? Would you believe that 97 percent of dairy farms are still owned and operated by families? Most attending our First Friday event guessed much less around 50 percent or even 25 percent. Families are still the fabric of agriculture and are working hard every day to make sure you have a safe and nutritious product for your family.

Mentioning nutrition, do you know what the milk is the number one source for three key nutrients? They are calcium, Vitamin D and potassium. However, the average American adult is only consuming two servings per day. Adults are missing out on those three key nutrients because they should be consuming at least three per day. Dairy is working hard through the dairy check-off dollars to find new ways to package and utilize milk. There are many ways to enjoy dairy other than just drinking milk.

Finally, it is worth noting some facts about the hard working dairy cows in Indiana. At our First Friday I was amazed to learn that most people didn’t know what breed the black and white cows are 90 percent of the dairy milk cows in the United States are Holsteins – the black and white cows. Holsteins are not only the most popular breed but they also produce the most milk per cow.

June is winding down but there is still time to enjoy June Dairy Month and the wealth of safe and nutritious dairy products that are produced every day by dairy farm families across the United States.

To learn more about the Indiana Dairy Industry and to meet some of our dairy farmers, visit American Dairy Association of Indiana’s website at winnersdrinkmilk.com.