Milk Production of Ohio Dairy Herds (2016 through 2019)

Dr. Maurice L. Eastridge, Professor and Extension Dairy Specialist, Department of Animal Sciences, The Ohio State University

It is always important to monitor the yield of milk and the composition of milk, especially for the individual farmer, because the income of the dairy farm depends on this source of revenue. The yields of fat and protein are the primary determinants of the price received by farmers. The proportions of fat and protein are useful in monitoring cow health and feeding practices within a farm. The income over feed costs (IOFC) and feed costs per hundred of milk are important monitors of costs of milk production.

The average production of milk, fat, and protein by breed for Ohio dairy herds during 2016 through 2019 using the Dairy Herd Improvement (DHI; http://www.dhiohio.com) program are provided in Table 1. Not all herds on DHI are included in the table below because of the different testing options offered by DHI, some herds opt for no release of records, lack of sufficient number of test dates, and given that some of the herds consist of other breeds than the ones shown. In comparison, the average of milk yields from USDA data for all cows in Ohio during the same time period are provided.

Table 1. Number of herds, milk yield, milk fat, and milk protein by breed for Ohio herds on DHI during 2016 through 2019.


Breed

Year
Number of
Herds
Milk
(lb/lactation)


Milk fat
(%)

Milk
protein (%)
Ayrshire 2016 9 16,919 3.83 3.25
  2017 6 16,145 4.00 3.25
  2018 4 16,346 4.29 3.25
  2019 3 16,225 4.53 3.22
Brown Swiss 2016 17 20,216 4.22 3.45
  2017 16 19,840 4.25 3.49
  2018 13 19,817 4.21 3.46
  2019 10 19,989 4.24 3.52
Guernsey 2016 6 17,606 4.73 3.41
  2017 5 17,063 4.76 3.45
  2018 5 15,800 4.60 3.39
  2019 5 14,787 4.52 3.37
Holstein 2016 272 25,202 3.69 3.08
  2017 245 25,625 3.87 3.18
  2018 198 25,506 3.79 3.09
  2019 171 25,843 3.85 3.11
Jersey 2016 62 17,600 4.85 3.65
  2017 62 17,865 4.82 3.58
  2018 44 17,438 5.04 3.65
  2019 37 17,673 4.88 3.64
Mixed 2016 24 23,481 3.90 3.21
  2017 21 24,441 4.02 3.22
  2018 17 22,852 4.21 3.31
  2019 15 24,233 4.19 3.40
Ohio1 2016 2,512 20,875 --- ---
  2017 2,337 21,284 --- ---
  2018 2,220 21,359 --- ---
  2019 1,868 21,614 --- ---

1Data available from United States Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service.