Pennsylvania Dairy: A Valuable Industry
June 6, 2022
June 6, 2022
The rolling hills of Pennsylvania are often dotted with cows out to pasture. According to the Center for Dairy Excellence, Pennsylvania is ranked 8th in milk production nationally, with the Commonwealth’s 474,000 cows producing more than 10.1 billion pounds of milk annually. Pennsylvania ranks second in the nation for the number of dairy farms with 5,200 dairy farms.
Of these farms, 99% of them are family-owned with the vast majority being multi-generational businesses. The average herd size in Pennsylvania is 91 cows.
Interesting Facts About Dairy
In today’s world, most people have not been to a dairy farm and therefore know very little about these versatile and important animals. Here are a few facts that might surprise you:
Dairy Industry Integral to Nicholas Meat’s Success
At Nicholas Meat, the dairy industry is very important to us. Not only do we love a good cold glass of milk or cheese on top of our pizza, but we also rely on the industry to provide us with beef on a regular basis. According to the National Beef Checkoff, dairy represents approximately 20 percent of the total U.S. beef supply.
Currently, our daily beef supply is about 70% dairy cows and bulls and 30% is beef cattle. This means we rely heavily on the region’s dairy industry to help us in turn supply nutritious, wholesome beef to the world. And, did you know that Pennsylvania is now the 8th largest state in the union for commercial cattle processing? This attracts cattle from throughout the Northeast, Midwest and South, so Nicholas Meat consequently has convenient access to large quantities of cattle in seven other states beyond Pennsylvania.
In short, no matter how you look at it, the dairy industry is important to the beef industry as a whole and in turn, to Nicholas Meat. We thank all dairy farmers that choose to bring their cull animals to our facilities and appreciate their patronage.