The highest ever level of milk production per cow for the month of June was recorded in the 23 major dairy states in the US last month.

The latest figures from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirmed the news recently.

Production per cow in the 23 major states averaged 1,964lb for June of this year, representing a 23lb increase compared to the same month in 2017.

This equates to the highest production per cow for the month of June since the 23-state series began in 2003, the USDA confirmed.

Milk production in the 23 major states during the sixth month of 2018 totalled 17.2 billion pounds, up 1.3% from June 2017.

Meanwhile, the department revised production figures for May of this year to 18 billion pounds; this means production was up 1.1% from May 2017.

The May revision represented an increase of 40 million pounds or 0.2% from last month’s preliminary production estimate, the USDA added.

Furthermore, the population of dairy cows in the 23 major states last month was 8.75 million head; this was 12,000 head more than June 2017, but unchanged from May 2018.

Upward trend

According to the latest figures, milk production in the US for the second quarter of this year – April to June – equalled 55.8 billion pounds.

This represented a rise of 0.8% compared to the corresponding quarter last year.

The average number of dairy cows in the US during the second quarter was 9.4 million head – 3,000 head less than the first quarter of the year, but 4,000 head more than the same period last year, the USDA added.