You bet.

This may come as a surprise to many, but the state known for its potatoes is fast becoming awash in milk. For example, Idaho was the nation’s fifth highest producer of milk in 2003, which is an improvement of 4 places since 1997. Idaho’s rising milk production during the last few years results from both its expanding dairy herd and the increased productivity of the herd. According to the USDA, the number of milk cows increased from 272,000 in 1997 to just over 400,000 in 2003, an incredible 49% gain. The amount of milk produced annually per cow over this period rose from 19,092 pounds to 21,718 pounds. As a result of these increases, the total amount

of milk produced in Idaho rose from about 5.2 billion pounds in 1997 to nearly 8.8 billion pounds in 2003. Interestingly, although the state’s dairy herd has been expanding, the number of dairy farms has been shrinking. As a result, the average size of dairy farms grew from 176 cows in 1997 to nearly 400 in 2002. This reflects the establishment of huge operations that can take advantage of returns to scale. Milk’s significance can also be measured in dollars. In 2003, Idaho cash receipts from milk were just over $1 billion. This was second only to cattle and calves, whose cash receipts were about $60 million higher in 2003. However, recent estimates by the University of Idaho’s Garth Taylor and Ben Eborn show the combination of strong production and healthy prices caused milk receipts to jump 33% in 2004 to $1.3 billion, moving milk into first place.

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