USDA estimates that there were 2,000 fewer dairy farmers in 2009 than 2008, a 3% decline.
Small herds, those with less than 100 cows, still dominate in numbers, with 49,200 herds. They represent roughly 75% of all dairy farms, but they produce just 16.4% of all milk.
The 7,200 herds with more than 200 cows represent 72% of the milk supply. And the 1,650 herds with more than 1,000 cows produce roughly 37% of the nation’s milk supply. Only these very large, +1,000-cow herds showed an increase in numbers in 2009, up 20 herds. All other herd size categories declined.
