Small Town News

Milk volume climbed over five billion pounds during past year

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Hoard's Dairyman recently published a list of the top 50 cooperatives when it comes to milk volume. The numbers showed that volume climbed by over 5 billion pounds during the past year, the largest increase of its kind since 2001. During the last eight years, member milk volumes of these top 50 cooperatives have grown from 126 billion to 150.7 billion pounds. Dairy Farmers of America, Inc. of Kansas City sits atop the list with 37.9 billion pounds of milk and 10, 178 member farms. The only change in the top 10 involved two Wisconsin cooperatives. Last year's No. 9, Manitowoc Milk Producers Cooperative of Manitowoc, dropped one spot to make way for Foremost Farms USA of Baraboo to move up. Making its debut on the list at No. 27 was Organic Valley/CROPP of LaFarge. Other Wisconsin cooperatives on the list include: No. 7 Family Dairies USA of Madison, No. 14 Milwaukee Cooperative Milk Producers of Brookfield, No. 32 Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery of Ellsworth, No. 37 Burnett Dairy Cooperative of Grantsburg, and No. 41 Scenic Central Milk Producers Co-op of Yuba. In 2008, 79.3 percent of U.S. milk was marketed by the top 50 co-ops, up one percent from a year prior. The top three cooperatives (DFA, California Dairies Inc. and Land O'Lakes Inc.) contributed 36 percent of the 190 billion pounds of total milk produced in the U.S.



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© 2010 The Blair Press-Alma Center Blair, Wisconsin. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from DAS.

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