Mt An 10 (2-04) Licensed Dairy Herds National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released February 17, 2004, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, U.S. Department of Agriculture. For information on "Licensed Dairy Herds" call Ty Kalaus at (202) 690-3236, office hours 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET. Licensed Dairy Operations Decreased 5 Percent in 2003 The number of licensed dairy operations in the United States during 2003 decreased 5 percent from the previous year. Total operations, including both Grade A and Grade B dairies, averaged 70,410 during 2003, down from 74,110 in 2002. Grade A dairies accounted for 63,385 of the total operations, down 2,835 from last year while Grade B operations average 7,025 compared to 7,890 in 2002. The licensed dairy operations in this report represent the average number of dairy farms licensed to sell milk in each State. Data were compiled from information collected by State and other regulatory agencies. The current NASS data series is based on the definition of a milk cow operation as any place having one or more head of milk cows, excluding cows used to nurse calves, on hand at any time of the year. These operations may not necessarily sell milk. The average number of licensed operations are comparable to the current dairy operation data series in that both represent the number of operations during the year. However, the licensed dairy counts, by definition, more closely describe commercial dairy operations. California and New Mexico were the only States to show an increase during 2003. States with the largest decreases were Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, New York, and Kentucky, respectively. We extend a special thanks to the State agencies that supplied the data necessary to compile this report. Special Note This is the first time that NASS is publishing the number of licensed dairy herds in the United States. The collection and publication of these numbers were done at the request of the dairy industry. Starting next year, this information can be found in the February issue of "Milk Production" along with the number of operations by State that NASS has historically published. NASS will continue to publish both data series due to the different needs of the data users. Milk Cows: Licensed Dairy Operations by State and United States, 2002-2003 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- State : 2002 : 2003 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number : AL : 120 110 AK : 10 10 AZ : 160 160 AR : 320 290 CA : 2,030 2,060 CO : 180 180 CT : 210 200 DE : 95 90 FL : 210 190 GA : 380 360 HI : 10 10 ID : 815 775 IL : 1,340 1,295 IN : 2,150 2,010 IA : 2,760 2,500 KS : 565 530 KY : 1,835 1,630 LA : 380 340 ME : 430 400 MD : 735 715 MA : 250 230 MI : 3,040 2,840 MN : 6,775 6,235 MS : 300 270 MO : 2,110 1,980 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Milk Cows: Licensed Dairy Operations by State and United States, 2002-2003 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- State : 2002 : 2003 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number : MT : 120 110 NE : 540 500 NV : 35 35 NH : 170 150 NJ : 140 130 NM : 160 170 NY : 6,930 6,700 NC : 420 395 ND : 510 440 OH : 4,100 3,960 OK : 440 440 OR : 350 350 PA : 9,240 9,130 RI : 20 20 SC : 120 120 SD : 860 780 TN : 860 820 TX : 890 850 UT : 405 365 VT : 1,480 1,390 VA : 940 910 WA : 660 640 WV : 170 160 WI : 17,300 16,400 WY : 40 35 : US : 74,110 70,410 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or family status. 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