In the News - June 2008
June is Dairy Month
LITTLE ROCK - June is Dairy Month in Arkansas. It's the month when industry
celebrate the nutritional valve of dairy products and the economic impact that
dairy has on local communities.
"Arkansas' dairy industry may not be as big as the industries in Wisconsin or
California, but there's still plenty to moo about," said Dr. Jodie Pennington,
dairy specialist for the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service.
He said the state's dairy farmers earn about $50 million a year from the sale
of milk and dairy animals.
"The retail value of milk and other dairy products such as cheese that are
consumed in Arkansas exceeds $500 million a year," notes Pennington. "The
state's dairy farmers put more than $30 million into the economy buying feed and
other supplies, which is very significant to many local towns. And we only
produce about 10-15 percent of the total dairy products consumed in the state.
"The overall economic impact of dairying on Arkansas is about $440 million a
year," Pennington said. "This means that an average dairy farm contributes $2-3
million a year to the economy in Arkansas. The dollars are especially noticed in
smaller communities where there are several dairy farms. Dairy farming is one of
the main full-time jobs involving agriculture in the Ozark region."
Pennington said the state's 150 dairy farmers produced about 100 million
quarts of milk last year, but Arkansas processors still have to import twice
that amount of milk from other regions."
Every year, Arkansas dairy farmers become more efficient, producing more milk
per cow. There are now 17,000 cows producing more than 14,000 pounds of milk per
year. The top herd in Arkansas averaged more than 23,500 pounds of milk per cow.
Pennington said dairy farmers have benefited from new technology. "Our best
producers use the computer to formulate their feed rations, artificial
insemination for breeding, and records from the National Dairy Herd Improvement
Program, or DHIA, to help them produce milk more efficiently.
As in neighboring states, Arkansas cow herds are getting larger, but the
number of herds is decreasing. During the past 10 years, cows per herd have
increased more than 50 percent. There are now herds in the state with more than
500 cows. During the same 10-year period, the number of cow herds in the state
has dropped more than 50 percent.
Pennington says the quality and healthiness of Arkansas milk ranks among the
best in the nation.
"Dairy products are basic to any diet. They can be used to lose weight, gain
weight or maintain weight. The new diet schemes with low carbohydrates fit well
with dairy products.
Among the products made at Arkansas processing plants are whole milk, low-fat
and skim milk, ice cream, cheese, evaporated milk and condensed milk.
Pennington says, "Consumers are getting a healthy product at a relatively
stable price. "Forty years ago, factory laborers had to work seven minutes to
buy a quart of milk. Last year, they had to work less than four minutes for a
quart of milk. There is a present increase in milk and cheese prices, but it's
necessary since corn prices, a primary feed of dairy cattle, have increased
dramatically in the last year."
The increase in milk prices to higher levels than normal at the store has
caused concern among consumers, but milk is still a good buy for its nutritional
value. Dairy farmers had received extremely low prices in past years, and this
price increase gives them an opportunity to gain financial stability, Pennington
noted.
The Arkansas Dairy princesses help promote dairy products and are glad to
assist with promotion activities in their area. The 2008 Arkansas Dairy Princess
(ages 15-21) is Brittany Harpole, daughter of Monte and Stephanie Crawford of El
Dorado. The Arkansas Dairy Junior Miss (ages 8-14) is Katherine (Katie) Kurz,
daughter of Rudy and Terri Kurz of Lonoke. The Little Miss Dairy Princess (ages
3-7) is Grace Dunlap daughter of Clay and Teresa Dunlap of Springfield.
The Cooperative Extension Service is part of the U of A Division of
Agriculture.
(Note to the Editors: The counties with the most dairy farms are, from No.
1-14, Washington, Benton, Conway, Carroll, Van Buren, Searcy, White, Madison,
Boone, Faulkner, Fulton, Logan, Lonoke, and Franklin. Benton County has the most
dairy cows and produces the most milk, although Washington County has the most
dairy farms.)
June 13, 2008
Media Contact: Lamar James
Extension Communications Specialist
U of A Division of Agriculture
Cooperative Extension Service
(501) 671-2187 or (501) 753-0207
ljames@uaex.edu
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