The average number of milk cows on farms during the quarter was 4,000 head, 500 head lower than the same period last year and the previous quarter.
Milk production in the United States during the July – September quarter totaled 56.5 billion pounds, up 1.2 percent from the July – September quarter last year.
The average number of milk cows in the United States during the quarter was 9.41 million head, unchanged from the April – June quarter, but 29,000 head lower than the same period last year.