Ms. Beucler September 2011

 Early 1800’s  Cattle brought into MN were for labor, leather, manure, milk and meat  Not specialized for milk production  Most milk was consumed on the farm or by neighbors  If the milk was from a town cow

 Coop creameries were created to make and market butter  Herd size increased due to a higher demand for farm milk  Grain was cheaper, which meant high energy concentrates were easy to get  Fed in increasing amounts leading to even more milk production Information provided by: The University of MN, Dairy Extension

 Presently, the number of dairy farms is decreasing all over the state and nation  Numbers of cows on farms, however, are increasing  Pounds of milk per cow is increasing due to genetic engineering and breed selection  Bio-security has increased therefore producing a much healthier and safer product

 MN is the 6 th largest dairy state in the nation  In 2009, MN had 469,000 head of dairy cows  About 5% of the U.S. total  From 2007 to 2009, numbers have increased after a long period of decline  Many other large dairy states have seen decreases in the past decades Information provided by: MN Department of Agriculture, Marketing Services

 Stearns County is the largest dairy county in Minnesota  Followed by Winona, Morrison, Wabasha, and Otter Tail  Among the top 10 dairy counties, the four listed above are the ones that achieved production increases from 2000 to 2008  The others had production declines Information provided by: MN Department of Agriculture, Marketing Services