VERMONT — The USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service recently reported that milk production in Vermont during April totaled 230 million pounds, up 0.9 percent from April 2016.
The average milk price received by Vermont farmers in March 2017, at $18.90 per hundredweight, was down 70 cents from February 2016 but up $2.40 from March a year ago.
Also in the Northeastern Region Monthly Milk Production Report, released May 23, is data that shows that in Vermont the number of milk cows declined slightly to 129,000 head (from 131,000 a year earlier) but the amount of milk that each cow produced rose to 1,785 pounds (from 1,740 in 2016). Also, overall milk production in Vermont increased to 230 million pounds in April, up from 228 million pounds in April 2016.
The USDA noted that these numbers excluded milk sucked by calves.
The same report showed that butter fat in the milk of Vermont cows tested slightly higher than the average the 23 states in the survey. The average fat content is 3.88 percent overall, and 3.93 percent in Vermont.