WASHINGTON, D.C. (RFD-TV) — U.S. milk production moved sharply higher in November as expanding dairy cow numbers and stronger productivity pushed output well above last year, according to the USDA’s latest Milk Production report. Nationwide output totaled 18.8 billion pounds, up 4.5 percent from November 2024, while the 24 major dairy states produced 18.1 billion pounds, a 4.7 percent increase.
Both herd growth and improved milk yields drove the increase. The national dairy herd totaled 9.57 million head, up 211,000 cows from a year earlier, while production per cow averaged 1,963 pounds, 41 pounds higher than last November. In the 24-state total, milk per cow rose even faster to 1,979 pounds.
California remained the nation’s largest milk-producing state, generating 3.31 billion pounds in November, up more than 10 percent year over year. Wisconsin ranked second at 2.64 billion pounds, followed by Texas at 1.49 billion pounds.
Texas posted one of the strongest gains, supported by herd expansion and improved productivity, while Wisconsin’s growth remained steady but more modest.
The continued rise in milk supplies will put pressure on dairy prices heading into 2026 if demand does not keep pace.
Farm-Level Takeaway: Rising production underscores the importance of marketing discipline and margin protection as milk supplies expand.
Tony St. James, RFD-TV Markets Specialist
Cattle imports from Mexico remain stalled amid the New World screwworm outbreak. At the same time, Tyson closures add pressure on Nebraska producers and markets ahead of the USDA’s upcoming Cattle on Feed Report.
December 08, 2025 01:55 PM
·
Southern producers head into 2026 with thin margins, tighter credit, and rising agronomic risks despite scattered yield improvements.
December 08, 2025 12:04 PM
·
Record yields and exceptionally low BCFM strengthen U.S. corn’s competitive position in global markets.
December 08, 2025 12:00 PM
·
Water access—not acreage alone—is driving where irrigation expands or contracts.
December 07, 2025 12:00 PM
·
Reed Marcum started hosting a toy drive in 2015. Since then, he has distributed thousands of toys across his home state of Oklahoma and in Texas and Arkansas. Now serving in the Army, Reed’s family and local 4-H chapter are running the event.
December 05, 2025 04:20 PM
·
Mike Steenhoek, with the Soy Transportation Commission, shares his outlook on current grain stocks and transportation lines amid bumper crops filling bins across the United States.
December 05, 2025 02:18 PM
·
The FAO Food Price Index for November fell by more than 1 percent in November, marking the third straight month of declines.
December 05, 2025 11:54 AM
·
Texas livestock producers face a heightened biosecurity threat as New World screwworm detections in northern Mexico coincide with FDA approval of the first topical treatment.
December 05, 2025 11:27 AM
·
Rep. Michelle Fischbach shares her appreciation for rural communities and outlines how the Working Families Tax Cut is aimed to support farm families on RFD-TV’s Champions of Rural America.
December 04, 2025 01:31 PM
·
