Got milk?
Countless tasty treats can trace their roots to the common dairy cow. Consider these udderly surprising stats about the dairy industry.
By PlentyMag.comFri, Feb 01 2008 at 1:58 PM EST
MILK IS GOOD: America neds 65,000 farms to satisfy its demand for milk-based products. 
Yogurt, cheese, ice cream — countless tasty treats can trace their roots to the common dairy cow. In fact, America needs 65,000 farms to satisfy its demand for milk-based products. Consider these udderly surprising stats about the dairy industry.9,000,000
Number of dairy cows in the U.S.
100
Average number of miles milk travels from farm to grocery store
20 billion
Profit in dollars that Nestlé makes each year as the world’s leading dairy company
1
Years required to convert a traditional dairy farm to certified organic
18
Percentage of global greenhouse gas emissions that come from livestock
3.5
Percentage of dairy products sold in the US that are certified organic
54
Average number of pounds of cheese that a French person eats in a year
26.4
Percentage of total U.S. cheese production that takes place in Wisconsin
21 Billion
Gallons of milk U.S. dairy farms produce each year
1884
Year milk bottle was invented
150
Number of cloned cows in the U.S.
25
Average percentage US organic milk sales are growing each year
225
Number of “Got Milk” print ads since the campaign’s debut in 1995
1940
Year first Dairy Queen opened
30
Average number of pounds of cheese an American eats in a year
340
Number of udder squirts needed to fill one milk pail
3.7
Percentage of U.S. dairy farms that produce half of the nation’s milk supply
This article originally appeared in Plenty in February 2008. This story was added to MNN.com in June 2009.
Copyright Environ Press 2008
