In the News - June 2009
June is Dairy Month
LITTLE ROCK - Governor Mike Beebe will proclaim "June is Dairy Month" for
Arkansas on June 9. June is when the industry celebrates the nutritional valve
of dairy products and the economic impact that the dairy industry has on local
communities.
Arkansas' dairy industry may not be as big as the dairy industries in
Wisconsin or California, but it's still pretty important to the state," said Dr.
Jodie Pennington, dairy specialist for the University of Arkansas Cooperative
Extension Service.
He said the state's dairy farmers earn about $50 million a year from the sale
of milk and dairy animals.
"The retail value of milk and other dairy products, such as cheese, consumed
in Arkansas exceeds $500 million a year," notes Pennington. "The state's dairy
farmers put more than $30 million into the economy buying feed and other
supplies, which is significant to many local towns. And we only produce about 15
percent of the total dairy products consumed in the state.
"The overall economic impact of dairying on Arkansas is more than $600
million a year," Pennington said. "An average dairy farm contributes
significantly to smaller communities. Money spent by dairy farmers for
business-related purchases is turned over several times in the area. Dairy
farming is one of the main, full-time agricultural jobs in the Ozark region."
Pennington said the state's 140 dairy farmers produced about 100 million
quarts of milk last year, but Arkansas processors still have to import three
times that amount of milk from other regions."
Every year, Arkansas dairy farmers become more efficient, producing more milk
per cow. There are now 17,000 cows producing more than 14,000 pounds of milk per
year, he said. The top herd averages more than 24,500 pounds of milk per cow.
Pennington said dairy farmers have benefited from new technology.
"Our best producers use computer to formulate their feed rations, artificial
insemination for breeding, and records from the National Dairy Herd Improvement
Program to help them produce milk more efficiently.
As in neighboring states, Arkansas cow herds are getting larger, but the
number of herds is decreasing. During the past 10 years, cows per herd have
increased more than 50 percent. Some herds in the state have more than 500 cows.
During the same 10-year period, the number of cow herds in the state has dropped
more than 50 percent.
Pennington says the quality and healthiness of Arkansas milk ranks among the
best in the nation. It's among the safest foods offered.
"Dairy products are basic to any diet. They can be used to lose weight, gain
weight or maintain weight," he says. "The new diet schemes with low
carbohydrates fit well with dairy products. Dairy products are part of the food
pyramid and are considered essential for the growth of young children."
Among the products made at Arkansas processing plants are whole milk, low-fat
and skim milk, ice cream, cheese, evaporated milk and condensed milk.
Pennington says, "Consumers are getting a healthy product at a relatively
stable price." Forty years ago, factory laborers had to work seven minutes to
buy a quart of milk. Last year, they had to work less than four minutes for a
quart of milk. This year, it will probably take three minutes of work."
The recent decrease in milk prices at the store has been a plus for milk
sales and milk is an extremely good buy for its nutritional value.
Dairy farmers now are receiving low prices for their milk on the farm. Recent
state legislation gives dairy farmers an opportunity to gain financial
stability, Pennington noted. He hoped these measures would decrease the number
of dairy farms exiting the industry and make milk less expensive for consumers.
The Cooperative Extension Service is part of the U of A Division of
Agriculture.
(Note to the Editor: The counties with the most dairy farms are, from
No. 1-15, Benton, Washington, Carroll, White, Searcy, Boone, Lonoke, Van Buren,
Madison, Logan, Conway, Franklin, Faulkner, Fulton, and Izard. Benton County
also has the most dairy cows and produces the most milk.)
June 5, 2009
Media Contact: Lamar James
Extension Communications Specialist
U of A Division of Agriculture
Cooperative Extension Service
(501) 671-2187
ljames@uaex.edu
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