E-mail: nass-ny@nass.usda.gov
(518) 457-5570

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact:  Bryan Combs
Thursday, March 19, 2009

www.nass.usda.gov/ny

                       FEBRUARY MILK PRODUCTION DOWN

New York dairy herds produced 959 million pounds of milk during February
according to Stephen Ropel, Director of USDA’s National Agricultural
Statistics Service, New York Field office.  Milk cows and production per
cow declined from the previous year resulting in a 3.6 percent decrease in
milk production compared to February 2008.  The number of milk cows
averaged 623,000 head, down 3,000 head from February of the previous year.
Milk per cow averaged 1,540 pounds, down 50 pounds from the February 2008
rate.  Milk production and milk per cow show a strong decrease over last
year due to February 2008 being a leap year.

Dairy farmers in the Empire State received an average of $12.00 per
hundredweight of milk sold during February, down $1.30 from January and
$7.50 below February a year ago.

Milk production in the 23 major States during February totaled 13.7 billion
pounds, down 2.5 percent from February 2008.  January revised production at
14.9 billion pounds, was up 1.1 percent from January 2008.  The January
revision represented an increase of 52 million pounds or 0.4 percent from
last month's preliminary production estimate.

Production per cow in the 23 major States averaged 1,608 pounds for
February, 48 pounds below February 2008.  The number of milk cows on farms
in the 23 major States was 8.49 million head, 31,000 head more than
February 2008, but 16,000 head less than January 2009.

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3-19-09