Most of the milk we drink in the U.S. comes from cows, which are raised in herds on dairy farms across the country. A typical cow is milked 2-3 times every day and can produce 6-8 gallons of raw milk daily.
Today, approximately 30% of the U.S. raw milk supply makes its way to a regional dairy processor where it later becomes fluid milk (in the form of whole, 2%, 1% and skim milk products). The larger portion of the milk supply (the other 70%) goes to make other dairy products like cheese, butter, yogurt, ice cream, and more.
Milk is typically considered a local food because, on average, most milk travels less than 100 miles before it reaches a consumer. There are more than 50,000 dairy farms spread across the US, and most milk takes about 48 hours to get from the farm to the grocery shelf. That’s fresh milk!
