It’s no surprise that milk production is shifting to the West and Upper Midwest. But the extent of that shift is stunning. Take a look at a map recently published by Paul Kyburz’s Upper Midwest Federal Milk Marketing Order , go to p. 3.
In 2001, the U.S. produced 165 billion lb. Last year, it produced 189 billion lb., a 15% increase.
The Federal Order map shows some dramatic shifts over that time.
California is up the most in terms of pure volume, up nearly 6.3 billion lb. Wisconsin is up some 3 billion lb.
But the percentage increases are even more stunning: Texas up 73%, Idaho, +57%, Colorado +44%, New Mexico +42%, South Dakota, +38%, Michigan, +36%, Arizona, +32%, Indiana, +32%, Oregon, up 31%, Ohio, +21%.
On the flip side, the entire southeast quadrant of the country bleeds red, with that red extending all the way up through New England. New York is the only exception, up 5.5%. But the deep south took major hits: Arkansas, -62%, Louisiana, -57%, Mississippi -50%, Alabama, -45%, Oklahoma, -24%, Missouri, -20% and Florida, -14%.
