South Dakota Governor Supports the State's Massive Dairy Industry Growth
Travel the I-29 corridor and you’ll see an explosion of dairy cattle. As of January 2024, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that the total number of dairy cows in South Dakota totals 208,000, up 70.5% since 2019.
To put that into perspective, South Dakota’s dairy herd has added 118,000 cows over the past 12 years.
South Dakota’s governor, Kristi Noem, is committed to supporting dairy's vital commerce for the state. Governor Noem says that the state’s dairy industry and its producers have created a tremendous impact on their economy.
“South Dakota is a leader amongst the dairy industry. The economic impact of those additional 118,000 cows is nearly $4 billion annually,” GOED Commissioner, Chris Schilken, says. “That is a huge win for South Dakota and its economy. South Dakota is open for business, and producers from across the country are investing here because of our welcoming approach to the dairy industry.”
According to Evan Grong, sales manager for Valley Queen, the three main factors that attract producers to South Dakota are feed, abundant groundwater and dairy processing investments.
Grong recently said that the increase in dairy cow numbers in South Dakota since 2019 as well as the support for continued growth has been a key pillar in the expansion of processing capacity at Valley Queen.
“Valley Queen completed an expansion in late 2019 and we are in the final year of yet another plant expansion,” he said. “These investments in plant capacity would not have been possible without the recent and continued dairy production growth in South Dakota.”
The January 2024 USDA Milk Production Report illustrated that South Dakota was on the positive side of the ledger, jumping 40 million lbs. with 21,000 additional cows year-over-year. The February 2023 USDA Milk Production Report showcased the same kind of growth. South Dakota’s impressive growth continued with a gain of 39 million lbs. with 21,000 more cows.
