Idaho Dairies Grow Larger, but Fewer in Numbers
By Joshua Palmer, The Times-News, Twin Falls, Idaho
May 20–Idaho lost another 35 dairies in 2007, according the latest figures from the Idaho State Department of Agriculture.
At the end of 2006 the state had 683 dairy farms, but that number shrank to 648 by the end of 2007. First quarter figures for 2008 from the National Agricultural Statistics Service show that Idaho now actually has 540,000 mature milking cows.
The average milk price jumped from an average of $11.89 per hundredweight in 2006 to $17.80 in 2007.
Dairy farm gate receipts went from $1.27 billion in 2006 to $2.04 billion last year. The ISDA is projecting a 3 percent growth in milk production throughout 2008. April figures from the NASS show that Idaho’s milk production grew by 8.2 percent in April 2008 over the same month a year ago.
Idaho is still in fourth place nationally for milk production, with California, Wisconsin and New York placing in the first three positions respectively.
Idaho produced 1.03 billion pounds of milk during that time; New York produced 1.05 billion pounds, up 2.7 percent during the quarter from a year ago. Cheese-producing capacity is increasing, with the opening of Brewster Cheese in Rupert and High Desert Milk in Burley scheduled to open in July. Those two plants will increase processing by 3.5 million pounds of milk per day.
Bob Naerebout, executive director of the Idaho Dairymen’s Association, estimates that the state needs to build a cheese plant the size of Jerome Cheese every three years to keep up the annual growth of milk production in southern Idaho.
Idaho dairies
by the numbers
• Mature dairy cows
2006 2007
476,000 507,000
• Average herd size
2006 2007
696 783
• Milk production
2006 2007
10.89 billion 11.55 billion
pounds pounds
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