Dairy Farm Fun Facts

• A cow will produce an average of 6.3 gallons of milk each day. That’s more than 2,300 gallons each year!
• U.S. dairy farms produce roughly 21 billion gallons of milk annually.
• Dairying supplies 11,600 Illinois jobs.
• The average American consumes almost 25 gallons of milk a year.
• Milk is measured in pounds, not gallons, for the purpose of accuracy. It’s difficult to total the milk records in volumetric measurements – imagine having to add together 4 gallons, 3 quarts and 2 tablespoons in the morning, and 6 gallons, 1 quart, 3 pints and 2 teaspoons in the evening!
• The greatest amount of milk produced in one year was 59,298 pounds by a Holstein cow named Robthom Sue Paddy.
• On a dairy farm, a farmer’s day begins and ends with milking the cows.
• Illinois ranks 20th in milk production in the United States.
• Fresh milk will stay fresher longer if you add a pinch of salt to each quart.
• A cow is more valuable for its milk, cheese, butter and yogurt than for its beef.
• Home delivery of milk (i.e. the milkman) started in 1942 as a war conservation measure.
• More than 1,000 new dairy products are introduced each year.