As the spring flush season wraps up, newly released USDA data for May 2025 reveals a significant upswing in milk production across the United States. National milk output climbed 1.6% year-over-year, reaching a season-high of 19.137 billion pounds, the largest monthly total recorded so far in 2025.
Several key dairy-producing states posted substantial gains supporting the nationwide surge, led by Kansas, which saw an extraordinary year-over-year jump of 15.7%, producing 413 million pounds. South Dakota followed with a 9.5% increase to 459 million pounds, while Texas continued its upward trend, up 8.9% to 1.57 billion pounds. These states have benefited from favorable weather conditions, herd expansion, and recent infrastructure investments.
The nationwide growth can be largely attributed to reduced culling activity and the expansion of the US dairy herd. Over 5,000 dairy cows were added during the month, pushing total herd numbers to their highest level since 2021 at 9.45 million head. With replacement heifer prices still hovering at record highs, many producers are opting to retain older cows rather than sell, especially as new processing plants come online and demand steady milk supplies.
In addition to herd expansion, productivity per cow also improved. Average milk yield per cow rose by 7 pounds compared to May 2024, driven by continued advances in genetics, feed optimization, and herd health management. These improvements have helped farmers extract more output from existing animals without significantly raising input costs.
Industry analysts tell Expana that while a seasonal uptick in May production was anticipated, the combined strength of herd expansion and higher milk-per-cow figures has led industry players to comment that US dairy producers should be able to meet any increased processing demand that could arise.
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Written by Brittany Feyh
