JULY-SEPTEMBER MILK PRODUCTION UNCHANGED FROM 2004

Columbia, S.C., October 18, 2005:There were an estimated 63 million pounds of milk produced in SOUTH CAROLINA during the July - September quarter of 2005, according to the USDA NASS South Carolina Field Office. This amount is unchanged from the same quarter a year ago, but down 20 percent from last quarter.

          There were 17,000 milk cows on SOUTH CAROLINA farms during July - September 2005, down 1,000 from the previous quarter, but the same as the same quarter a year ago.

          Milk production in the UNITED STATES during the July-September quarter totaled 44.0 billion pounds, up 4.2 percent from the July-September quarter last year. The average number of milk cows in the U.S. during the quarter was 9.05 million head, 27,000 head more than the same period last year.

For additional information call:

                     Robert A. Graham, Director

                     Stan Cheek, Agricultural Statistician