2006 Farmgate

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Fast Facts

Georgia's dairy industry became commercially successful in the 1930s. Today nine firms have a hand in the processing of milk and milk products in Georgia.

While the number of dairy farms in Georgia has declined over the years, the amount of milk per cow has greatly increased.

Georgia's population growth and farmland resources should help dairies increase in the future.

Georgia dairies produced 1.43 billion pounds of milk in 2000.

There are 810 farms in Georgia with more than 1 dairy cow.

The average dairy cow in Georgia produces 15,340 pounds or 1,784 gallons of milk yearly.

News: Media Kits: Georgia Agricultural Resources

Dairy

Milk's history dates to ancient civilization. Even man's earliest writings mention milk as an essential food. Milk, cheese and other dairy products have played an important role in America's history since 1611, when the first cows were brought to Jamestown, Va. As American pioneers moved west, almost every family traveled with a covered wagon and a cow, their mobile food source.

Today, milk flows directly from the cow into a refrigerated tank where it is quickly cooled and held for pickup. From there, it is pumped into insulated tanks to be transported to processing plants.

At the plant, milk is pasteurized to ensure its quality and safety for consumers. Then it is homogenized to break the milk fat into tiny particles that are mixed throughout the milk instead of rising to the top as cream.

Milk is tested at the farm, the processing plant and the retail level to ensure quality, freshness and wholesomeness for consumers.

The dairy industry today includes farmers, processors and manufacturers, who provide all the services needed to produce a variety of dairy products, and retailers who bring the products directly to consumers.

Improved methods of selecting, breeding and feeding cows help ensure plentiful supplies of milk.

Milk and milk products such as cheese and yogurt comprise the Milk Group, one of five Food Groups of the government's Daily Food Guide Pyramid, recommended for good health. Three servings are recommended daily for adults and children, four for teens and young adults, and four for pregnant or breast-feeding women.

Milk is best known for being high in calcium, the mineral that builds strong bones and teeth. Milk, cheese and yogurt provide more than 75percent of the calcium in the American food supply.

Nine out of 10 women fail to get all the calcium they need, putting them at risk for the bone-crippling disease osteoporosis as they get older.

More Information

For dairy story ideas, contact: Cheryl Hayn,
Director of Communications, Southeast United Dairy Industry Association, Inc., 770/996-6085
For information on dairy tours, contact:
Dairy Science, UGA Extension Service, 706/542-2581
Tour Mayfield Dairy in Braselton:
1160 Broadway Ave., Braselton Ga. 30517, 706/654-9180
Tour Cagles Dairy in Canton:
362 Stringer Rd., Canton, GA 30115, 770/345-5591
Cagles Dairy On-line - schedule a field trip or walk in their corn maize; also teachers can find resources for use in the classroom.
Animal and Dairy Science Department at UGA
Dairy Production and Management in Dairy Cattle from UGA Dairy Extension

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