April 2013 Articles

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Milk Per Cow Increasing

MILK PER COW INCREASING
U.S. milk production has continued to surge according to the April USDA-NASS Monthly Milk Production report. Compared to a year ago, both the output per cow and the number of cows have increased. Cows were reported up 5,000 head this month from the previous marking the 19th consecutive increase since September 2010. Nationwide, the average number of cows in April of this year was 90,000 head over 2011’s. In April, milk production increased 3.2% from a year ago, while milk per cow was up 2.2%.
Milk per cow has reached new record levels. The highest monthly figure for milk per cow was recently established in March of this year at 1909 pounds. May is seasonally the highest month for milk production during the year. The last two previous records have been achieved in May 2010 and 2011, which had a year-on-year increase of 10 pounds. The newest record set in March 2012 was 30 pounds above May 2011.
Monthly total US milk production and milk per cow typically coincide when new records are set, but not always. Year-to-date total U.S. milk production is nearly 5% over 2011’s. However, climate outlook indicates a very warm summer for much of the U.S., which could lead to a significant dampening in production during the third quarter.
Continued gains in U.S. milk output will likely continue to put downward pressure on milk prices. Current LMIC forecasts put summer quarter milk production at about 0.5% above a year ago. That suggests milk prices could rebound slightly later in the year, coming up from double digits losses to only single digit losses compared to a year ago. Source: Livestock Marketing Information Center (www.lmic.info)