What Dairy What Dairy Farmers Bring to Farmers Bring to

PennsylvaniaPennsylvania

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PA’s Dairy Industry

8,500 dairy farms 550,000 cows 10.7 billion

pounds of milk produced annually

Ranked 5th nationally in total milk production

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PA’s Dairy Industry

99 percent of farms family-owned and operated

Dairies across the Commonwealth are growing to accommodate growing families and the next generation

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What’s It Worth to PA?

$1.2 billion in farm receipts

$4.2 billion dollars for the economy

40,000 jobs throughout the Commonwealth and across the supply chain

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What’s It Worth to PA?

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Dairy is worth more to PA than Oranges are to Florida and Potatoes are to Idaho.

Pennsylvania Needs Pennsylvania Needs Our Dairy ProducersOur Dairy Producers!Pennsylvania Needs Pennsylvania Needs Our Dairy ProducersOur Dairy Producers!

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Dairy Producers are:

Dedicated to the care and

well-being of their animals

Committed to producing fresh, wholesome, quality milk

Responsible stewards of the land and natural resources

Vital contributors to the local community and its economy

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Dedicated to Animal Care: All dairy farmers care about

their cows The average dairy cow is

capable of producing 120 glasses of milk a day

A cow must be healthy and content to produce quality milk

Farmers make sure their cows get:─ A well-balanced diet &

a constant fresh supply of water

─ Regularly veterinary care─ A clean, comfort place to live

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Dairy farmers work with others to give their animals the best care possible

Veterinarians & nutritionists two examples

Dedicated to Animal Care:

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Committed to Quality Milk Healthy cows give quality

milk

Cows’ udders are sanitized before milking and protected after milking

Human hands never touch the milk

All milk is tested multiple times to ensure that no antibiotics or any other harmful residues enter the milk supply

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Committed to Quality Milk Dairy producers

work closely with milk processors and state / federal inspectors to ensure a safe milk supply

Typically milk enters the food supply within three days of being produced

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Committed to Quality Milk Pennsylvania located within ½

days’ drive from 40 percent of population

Milk from Pennsylvania is shipped to dairy plants up and down East Coast

Milk made into fluid products, cheese, butter, ice cream, powder products, baby formula and even chocolate

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Committed to Quality Milk Milk and dairy

products are an important part of a healthy diet

Dairy products provide calcium and eight other essential nutrients

The USDA’s Food Guide Pyramid calls for Americans to get 3-A-Day of dairy

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Contributor to Economy As the milk

flows out, money flows back into thelocal community

85 percentspent within local community

Circulates 2.5 times to increasethe total impact

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Contributor to Economy Average 70-

cow dairy contributes nearly $1 million to local economy

500-cow dairy contributes nearly $7 million for local economy

Each cow = $13,737 for the economy

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Contributor to Economy

Every Nine Cows = One Job

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Responsible to Environment: Farmers care about

the communities where they live and work

Their farms provide wide open spaces for the local community

They take good care of the land to preserve their future and ours

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Responsible to Environment: Use sound environ-

mental practices like no-till farming and rotational grazing to take care of land and natural resources

Recycle nutrients in the water and in manure to benefit the environment

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Dairy Farmers are:

Dedicated

Responsible

Conscientious

Neighborly

A Vital Part ofPennsylvania’sEconomy and Our Communities