Dairy by the Numbers

1 - Cow provides nutrients for 1 acre of land; 1 acre provides forage for 1 cow
2 - Cups of milk can be enjoyed daily by a person who is lactose intolerant
3 - Number of days that milk can stay fresh, after the “sell by” date
4 - Number of stomachs a cow has
6 - Number of gallons of milk a cow gives each day 
8 - Number of hours each day a cow spends chewing her cud (partially digested food)
10 - Number of acres worth of pizza eaten by Americans every day
11 - Age of a child when fast-growing bones need calcium the most
17 - Age when 90% of your bone mass is established
24 - Number of teeth in a cow’s mouth
37 - Degrees, the temperature a refrigerator should be
40 - Pounds of food a cow eats each day
60 - Minutes per day that children and adolescents should spend exercising
90 - Pounds a Holstein calf weighs
99 - Percent of dairy farms owned by families
100 - Glasses of milk a cow gives each day
200 - Dollars, the amount of George Washington’s ice cream bill in 1774
291 - Milligrams of calcium in a glass of whole milk
302 - Milligrams of calcium in a glass of skim milk
1500 - Pounds a Holstein cow weighs
1611 - The year the first cow came to America
1856 - The year that French scientist Louis Pasteur discovered “pasteurization”
350,000 - Glasses of milk are produced by an average cow in her lifetime

Minnesota Dairy Farming: A Vital Contributor to the State’s Success

Minnesota's dairy farmers provide more than milk. They bring jobs and economic activity to communities across the state. Minnesota dairies contribute to the local economy by supporting local businesses and the community tax base.

Dairy farming is an important contributor to the state's overall economy. Each dollar a dairy producer receives in milk sales generates more money for the local economy.

• Approximately 4,700 dairy farms produce milk that provides milk, cheese, yogurt and other dairy products to residents of Minnesota, the U.S., and dairy consumers around the world.
• Approximately 98 percent of all Minnesota dairy farms are family-owned.
• In Minnesota, the average dairy cow will produce 6.5 gallons of milk per day over the course of a typical year. That's more than 2,387 gallons a year.
• Minnesota dairy farms produce 8.364 billion gallons of milk annually.
• Minnesota milk production ranks 6th nationally; the state ranks 5th nationally in cheese production.
• A strong dairy industry benefits the agricultural economy and the economic well being of rural Minnesota.

Milk doesn't stay on the farm - where milk goes, more jobs are created.

• Dairy farmers purchase machinery, trucks, fuel, and more from local companies, generating jobs and income.
• Dairies create jobs for people who grow and ship feed for cows, as well as for veterinarians, insurance agents, accountants, bankers, and others.
• After milk leaves the farm, it travels by truck to a dairy plant, where people process cheese, fluid milk, ice cream, butter, yogurt, and other dairy products.
• Truckers, packaging manufacturers and food marketers complete the cycle by transporting and marketing the dairy products everyone loves. This means jobs in the transportation, distribution and retail industries.

For more information, visit Dairy Farming Today.

Source: National Agricultural Statistics Services; Economic Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture; National Milk Producers Federation; Minnesota Department of Agriculture (2007).