Released June 13, 2008

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - June is Dairy Month in Arkansas. It's the month when industry celebrate the nutritional valve of dairy products and the economic impact that dairy has on local communities.

"Arkansas' dairy industry may not be as big as the industries in Wisconsin or California, but there's still plenty to moo about," said Jodie Pennington, dairy specialist for the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service.

He said the state's dairy farmers earn about $50 million a year from the sale of milk and dairy animals.

"The retail value of milk and other dairy products such as cheese that are consumed in Arkansas exceeds $500 million a year," notes Pennington. "The state's dairy farmers put more than $30 million into the economy buying feed and other supplies, which is very significant to many local towns. And we only produce about 10-15 percent of the total dairy products consumed in the state.

"The overall economic impact of dairying on Arkansas is about $440 million a year," Pennington said. "This means that an average dairy farm contributes $2-3 million a year to the economy in Arkansas. The dollars are especially noticed in smaller communities where there are several dairy farms. Dairy farming is one of the main full-time jobs involving agriculture in the Ozark region."

Pennington said the state's 150 dairy farmers produced about 100 million quarts of milk last year, but Arkansas processors still have to import twice that amount of milk from other regions."

Every year, Arkansas dairy farmers become more efficient, producing more milk per cow. There are now 17,000 cows producing more than 14,000 pounds of milk per year. The top herd in Arkansas averaged more than 23,500 pounds of milk per cow.

Pennington said dairy farmers have benefited from new technology. "Our best producers use the computer to formulate their feed rations, artificial insemination for breeding, and records from the National Dairy Herd Improvement Program, or DHIA, to help them produce milk more efficiently.

As in neighboring states, Arkansas cow herds are getting larger, but the number of herds is decreasing. During the past 10 years, cows per herd have increased more than 50 percent. There are now herds in the state with more than 500 cows. During the same 10-year period, the number of cow herds in the state has dropped more than 50 percent.

Pennington says the quality and healthiness of Arkansas milk ranks among the best in the nation.

"Dairy products are basic to any diet. They can be used to lose weight, gain weight or maintain weight. The new diet schemes with low carbohydrates fit well with dairy products.

Among the products made at Arkansas processing plants are whole milk, low-fat and skim milk, ice cream, cheese, evaporated milk and condensed milk.

Pennington says, "Consumers are getting a healthy product at a relatively stable price. "Forty years ago, factory laborers had to work seven minutes to buy a quart of milk. Last year, they had to work less than four minutes for a quart of milk. There is a present increase in milk and cheese prices, but it's necessary since corn prices, a primary feed of dairy cattle, have increased dramatically in the last year."

The increase in milk prices to higher levels than normal at the store has caused concern among consumers, but milk is still a good buy for its nutritional value. Dairy farmers had received extremely low prices in past years, and this price increase gives them an opportunity to gain financial stability, Pennington noted.

The Arkansas Dairy princesses help promote dairy products and are glad to assist with promotion activities in their area.

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http://www.uaex.edu/news/june2008/0613dairymonth.htm

Contact: Lamar James, (501) 671-2187, ljames@uaex.edu