YOUR TEXAS AGRICULTURE MINUTE

Texas is a legenDAIRY state

By Gene Hall

Enjoy a cold glass of milk this morning? Dive into a bowl of Blue Bell ice cream on a hot summer day? What about butter on your biscuit or cheese in your queso?

Texas dairy farmers keep milk flowing for our favorite dairy treats.

Where does all that milk come from? Well, the Lone Star State has 437 dairies with more than 389,000 cows. And Texas is the sixth largest dairy-producing state.

In 2013, dairy products ranked number two in farm receipts for Texas agricultural commodities, bringing in almost $2.3 billion.

Did you know the average Texas dairy farm has 909 cows, producing 16.1 million pounds of milk per year? Cowabunga! That’s a lot of milk!

And that helps give the Lone Star State legenDAIRY status.

But Texas dairies have suffered recently. The price of milk has been down. Dairy farmers, however, are resilient. They keep our glasses and ice cream bowls full.

June marks National Dairy Month. Let’s tip our glasses and milk it for all it’s worth!

The preceding commentary is brought to you by Texas Farm Bureau, the “Voice of Texas Agriculture.” Called “Your Texas Agriculture Minute,” TFB will issue thought-provoking editorials each week—via print and audio—to spark understanding of agriculture in the Lone Star State and its impact on each and every Texan.

You may read this week’s editorial above or listen to the audio version.

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