Where are the cows today?

If you are wondering where are the dairy cows in the U.S., the map below will give you a general idea. The information is provided by Mark Stephenson at University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Here are some facts related to location of dairy cows:

The U.S. produces milk in all states - even Alaska and Hawaii.

Our milk production is moving west, north and away from populations, but the westward movement is slowing down.

The Southeastern quadrant of the U.S. is has significant milk net deficit, which can be due to population pressures, hot climates, and expensive dairy infrastructure.

The recent milk production growth has been in a dozen relatively concentrated areas. Michigan has a few distinct regions in the Thumb and central portion of the state. Wisconsin has more milk in the bottom two-thirds of the state with the heaviest gains in the eastern part.

Ohio and Indiana both have growth pockets in the northwest corners of each state. And Minnesota and South Dakota have a shared growth region along the I-29 highway corridor.

Eastern New Mexico and the Texas Panhandle have had significant growth as well as a couple of concentrations in Kansas and Colorado.

Idaho has significant growth. Arizona, Oregon, and Washington all have some growth areas.