Ball Helps Celebrate Dairy Month with Tour
(Oneida, NY – June 2014) On Monday, June 16, State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball toured the HP Hood Oneida Dairy Plant, a dairy processor of fluid milk, in celebration of “June is Dairy Month” here in New York State.
There, plant officials demonstrated the entire milk manufacturing process, from the milk truck to the grocery store, for the commissioner and other guests.
New York is the third largest milk-producing state in the nation and accounts for 6.7 percent of national production. In 2013, there were more than 5,000 dairy farms in New York and 610,000 dairy cows across the state, with the average dairy farm having 121 cows producing 2.67 million pounds of milk per year.
From 2010 to 2013, New York saw a 6.1-percent increase of pounds of milk per cow, compared to a 3.2-percent increase at the national level.
“New York’s dairy industry is thriving thanks largely to the men and women who work so hard to produce the world-class dairy products enjoyed by customers across the nation. We will proudly continue to work with our partners in the dairy industry to keep the progress going. This state’s dairy farmers and milk processors are the best of the best, and I congratulate them on their achievements these past few years.” Governor Andrew M. Cuomo