Milk production has shifted within the United States. During the 1990s, growth occurred in the Pacific Northwest, mountain states and western regions of California. During the same period, there was a decline in milk production in the upper Midwest. California surpassed Wisconsin in 1993 as the number one dairy-producing state. California leads the United States in fluid milk, butter, ice cream and nonfat dry milk production. Wisconsin is the number one producer of cheese.  November 2006 . . . Commodity Dairy


Source
Dairy Backgrounder, Economic Research Service, USDA, July 2006.

Marketing

• The Changing Landscape of U.S. Milk Production, Economic Research Service, USDA, 2002 - This report examines the quantity of milk production, the location, number, size and business organization of U.S. dairy farms.
• Consumer Perceptions of Pasture-Raised Beef and Dairy Products: An Internet Consumer Study, Leopold Center, Iowa State University, 2004 - This study gauged the level of consumer awareness of perceived benefits of pasture-raised beef and dairy products. 
• Dairy Fits Healthy and Fast-paced Lifestyles, Extraordinary Dairy, March 2004 - Dairy foods can offer convenient ways to improve consumers’ nutrition and health.
• Dairy Products Prices, National Agricultural Statistics Service, USDA.
• Dairy Yearbook, Economic Research Service, USDA - Annual data is compiled on milk and dairy product production, milk use, manufactured dairy products and prices.
• Dairy, Briefing Room, Economic Research Service, USDA.
• Effects of U.S. Dairy Policies on Markets for Milk and Dairy Products, Economic Research Service, USDA, 2004 - This report examines the economic effects of the principal programs related to the U.S. dairy industry that were authorized under the 2002 Farm Bill.
• The Farm Bill and California Dairy, by Joseph Balagtas, Hayley Boriss and Daniel A. Sumner, AIC Farm Bill Brief #5, July 2007 - Dairy policy is particularly important to California. Dairy producers, consumers and the rural economy and environment all have a stake in federal dairy policy. Dairy is by far the largest agricultural industry in California, accounting for about 14 percent of agricultural value in the state. 
• Fluid Milk Promotion Order, Code of Federal Regulations.
• Got Milk? Implications of Generational and Aging Effects, Amber Waves, February 2004 - This article indicates trends on future per capita, at-home spending on dairy products.
• Milk Pricing in the United States, Economic Research Service, USDA, 2001 - This report covers the many aspects of milk pricing from the farm gate to alternative users. 
• Milk Production and Milk Cows, National Agricultural Statistics Service, USDA.
• Report to Congress for the National Dairy Promotion and Research Program and the National Fluid Milk Processor Promotion Program, 2004 - This report summarizes activities for the producer and processor-funded dairy promotion programs.
• Supply and Demand for Commodity Components: Implications of Free Trade versus the AUSFTA for the U.S. Dairy Industry, May 2006 - University of California Agricultural Issues Center. This paper presents a simulation model of world dairy markets and analyzes the effects on U.S. milk markets of both a hypothetical agreement allowing free bilateral trade in dairy products and the actual Australian-US Free Trade Agreement.
• Understanding Dairy Markets,University of Wisconsin-Madison - This Web site links to information on markets and price risk management.
• U.S. Market Structure: The Dairy Industry in the 21st Century, Penn State University, 2002 - This report covers changes in the industry, consumption trends and federal dairy policy.

Processing/Manufacturing

• The Dairy 100, Dairy Foods magazine - Dairy Foods has compiled a list of the top dairy processors based on sales figures. The list is located in the left column. You must sign in to access the information. 
• Dairy Beef Online Course, University of California, Davis - Available free to anyone desiring information on market cattle quality and food safety. Tools for assessing and certifying on-farm quality assurance programs are provided. Dairy market cattle are a major source of beef and represent up to 15 percent of a dairy's income. The course is also available in CD-ROM for individuals requesting in-residence training or without access to the Internet.
• Dairy Research Centers - Pilot dairy plants available for the public’s use.
• Dried Milk Ordinance, U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 
• General Specifications for Dairy Plants Approved for USDA Inspection and Grading Service, Ag Marketing Service, 2002.
• Grading, Code of Federal Regulations.
• Milk for Manufacturing Purposes and its Production and Processing, Ag Marketing Service, 2002.
• Pasteurized Milk Ordinance, U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
• Questions you Should Answer Before Starting a New Dairy Processing Enterprise, Cornell University, 2000 - This document provides a beginning point for those interested in starting a new dairy business.  
• Value-Added Dairy Processing Feasibility Report "A Catalyst for Thought," Kansas Department of Commerce, 2003 - Included in this study are an overview of the dairy industry in Kansas, the current trends and the entire process of dairy processing. Further, fundamental issues of Federal Milk Marketing Orders, seasonality of production and demand are also addressed.
• Vertical Contracts Between Manufacturers and Retailers: Inference with Limited Data - The Case of Yogurt, Update Vol. 8, No. 2, November/December 2004, University of California Giannini Foundation of Agricultural Economics.

Production

• China Agricultural Data, Agricultural Issues Center, University of California, 2001 - Information on production, cost of production and trade.
• Cost of Producing Milk: A Comparison by State, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2003 - This paper examines cost of production estimates compiled by the Economic Research Service to look at competitiveness among dairy states.
• Milk Production Costs: How Much Does It Cost You to Produce 100 Pounds of Milk?, University of Maryland, 2002.
• Opportunities for Success on Small Dairy Farms Revisited, Penn State University, 2002.
• Producing Milk for a Competitive Market: The Rules Have Changed, Penn State University, 2001.
• The Rapid Rise of China's Dairy Sector: Factors Behind the Growth in Demand and Supply, 2005.
• The Small Dairy Resource Book, Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program, USDA, 2000 - Information sources for farmstead producers and processors.

Businesses/Case Studies

• The Dairy Provision of the 2002 Farm Bill - The Impact on California, Ag Marketing Resource Center, Agricultural Issues Center, University of California, 2002 - Examines the impact of dairy provisions in the 2002 Farm Bill on California’s dairy situation.
• The Effect of the Northeast Dairy Compact on Producers and Consumers, with Implications of Compact Contagion, Agricultural Issues Center, University of California, 2002 - In an explicit and consistent framework, this paper lays out the quantitative market-level effects of the Northeast Compact on producers and consumers in New England. The Compact's effects on producers and consumers in the rest of the United States is further analyzed.
• Returns to Investment in Whey Protein Research, Agricultural Issues Center, University of California, 2002 - Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed new uses for whey protein. A model of the U.S. dairy industry traces the likely effects on the markets for milk and dairy products from commercial adoption of these new uses.

Links checked February 2008.