The Agriculture Department announced the May Federal order Class I base milk price at another new record high, $25.45 per hundredweight, up $1.07 from April and $8.35 above May 2021. The five month average stands at $22.81, up from $15.70 a year ago, and $16.72 in 2020.
Milk output down 0.5%
U.S. milk production lagged year ago levels for the fifth consecutive month in March however that trend may soon end. The Agriculture Department’s latest preliminary data shows March output at 19.7 billion pounds, down 0.5% from Mar. 2021, and follows the revised 0.9% drop in February. March output in the top 24 producing states totaled 18.8 billion pounds, down 0.4%.
Revisions raised the original 50-State February estimate by 18 million pounds to 17.53 billion, 0.9% below a year ago, instead of the 1.0% reported.
Milk output for First Quarter totaled 56.3 billion pounds, down 1.0% from the same period in 2021. Cow numbers totaled 9.38 million head, unchanged from the October to December quarter, but 85,000 below a year ago.
Farmers are adding cows back. March numbers totaled 9.395 million head, up 15,000 from February, but were still down 87,000 from a year ago. The February count was revised up 10,000 head.
March output per cow averaged 2,096 pounds, up 8 pounds or 0.4% from 2021.
California production totaled 3.7 billion pounds, up 19 million pounds or 0.5% from a year ago, thanks a thousand additional cows outweighing a 10 pound loss per cow. Wisconsin output totaled 2.7 billion pounds, up 6 million or 0.2%. Cow numbers were up 3,000 and output per cow was unchanged from a year ago.
Idaho was unchanged in cow numbers, output per cow, and total production. Michigan was down 2.9% on 15,000 fewer cows, though output per cow was up 10 pounds. Minnesota was down 2.6% on a 15 pound drop per cow and 9,000 fewer cows. New Mexico was down 9.3% on 37,000 fewer cows. Output per cow was up 45 pounds.
New York was off down 1.0% on 6,000 fewer cows though output per cow was unchanged. Oregon was up 1.3% on a 10 pound drop per cow and 1,000 more cows. Pennsylvania was down 2.2%, on 8,000 fewer cows and a 10 pound drop per cow. South Dakota cows put 20% more milk in the tank, thanks to 30,000 more cows being milk and offsetting a 10 pound drop per cow. Texas output, while still a long ways from Number 2 Wisconsin, was up 6.7%, on 22,000 more cows and a 65 pound gain per cow.
Vermont was off 0.9% on a 15 pound drop per cow but cow numbers were unchanged. Washington State was down 4.0% on a loss of 145,000 cows, though output per cow was up 25 pounds.
