Missouri Dairy Business Update
Volume 3, Number 1
January 2003

Milk prices won't improve until production begins to taper off. December milk production in the US continued to grow, but at a slightly slower pace than the growth in recent months.

For the whole US, milk production was up 1.7% in December over a year ago, based upon 0.4% more cows and 1.4% more milk per cow.

For Missouri, milk production dropped 1.9% from December 2001, based upon 5.0% less cows, but 3.1% more milk production per cow than year ago levels.

December Milk Production

	December 2002 Milk Cows	December 2002 Milk Cows	% Change from last Year	December 2001 Monthly Lbs. Milk/Cow	December2002 Monthly Lbs. Milk/Cow	% Change from Last Year	December 2001 Total Milk Production (Millions of Pounds)	December 2002 Total Milk Production (Millions of Pounds)	% Change from Last Year
USA	9,112,000	9,148,000	0.4%	1,524	1,546	1.4%	13,902	14,139	1.7%
Top 20 States	7,750,000	7,797,000	0.6%	1,549	1,567	1.2%	12,008	12,220	1.8%
Missouri	141,000	134,000	-5.0%	1,145	1,180	3.1%	161	158	-1.9%
Kentucky	125,000	120,000	-4.0%	1,130	1,100	-2.7%	141	132	-6.4%
Iowa	206,000	208,000	1.0%	1,550	1,550	0.0%	319	322	0.9%
Idaho	377,000	390,000	3.4%	1,750	1,740	-0.6%	660	679	2.9%
California	1,618,000	1,676,000	3.6%	1,740	1,750	0.6%	2,815	2,933	4.2%
New Mexico	288,000	309,000	7.3%	1,700	1,710	0.6%	490	528	7.8%

Source: USDA, NASS, Milk Production