According to a USDA analysis, around 6% of U.S. dairy farms would stop milking cows in 2022, albeit at a slower pace than in the previous five years.
There were 70,375 dairy herds in the nation 20 years ago. There were 27,932 herds in 2022, down from 29,842 in 2021. The calendar year 2022 witnessed the withdrawal of 1,910 dairy herds throughout the country, accounting for about 6% of the country’s dairy businesses.
This compared to a national loss of 1,794 herds, or 5.7 percent of the total, in 2021. However, the drop was greater in the prior three years. During the last two decades, the United States has lost an average of 2,300 dairy herds every year.
Meanwhile, the number of dairy cows has decreased marginally. The average herd size is increasing, as is per-cow and total milk output. In 2022, the average dairy herd size hit a new high of 337 head.
