Dairy

Dairy as a commodity consists of not just milk, but products ranging from cheese to butter to ice cream. The average American eats over 30 pounds of cheese per year and cheese has seen the most amount of demand growth in the dairy industry. Dairy farms are mostly family run and over the years the amount of milk they produce has increased while the number of cows and farms has decreased. California, Wisconsin, New York, Pennsylvania, Idaho, Minnesota, New Mexico, Michigan, Texas, and Washington account for over 71% of total U.S. production of milk. Most dairy cows in the U.S. are Holsteins, characterized by their colors of black and white or red and white.