October milk production for a number of states is up on 2014 figures. South Dakota has seen the largest increase in percentage terms (+13.3%). Wisconsin (+4.5%), Michigan (+4.5%), Indiana (+4%), Colorado (+3.3%) and Florida (+3.3%) also saw increases in their milk production. California is down by 5.5%.
The US has continued to perform strongly in terms of prices, so there is an incentive for farmers to keep their production up. Butter has had an impressive run in the US and is currently trading at just over US$6000/t – more than double the New Zealand price. Favourable feed prices in the US are also helping returns at the farm level.
Download the USDA milk production report here
