USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service reports U.S. milk output continued to climb in early 2026. March production +2.4% year-over-year and the January–March quarter rose Q1 milk +2.9%, according to the agency. The gains reflect modest increases in per-cow yields alongside a larger national herd.
Production per cow averaged 2,133 pounds in March, seven pounds higher than a year earlier. The twenty-four major milk-producing states together held 9.18 million head of dairy cows in March, an increase of 188,000 head from March 2025.
The U.S. dairy herd totaled 9.61 million head for the January–March quarter, up 50,000 from the fourth quarter of 2025 and up 204,000 from the same quarter a year earlier. 9.61 million cows in the first quarter represent both the largest contributor to higher output and the main driver of the quarter-over-quarter production change.
Production and herd size
State-level results show differences in productivity and herd concentration. Michigan led per-cow production at 2,385 pounds in March, followed by Texas and Arizona in per-cow averages. California remained the largest state by herd size with 1.71 million cows, followed by Wisconsin at 1.29 million and Idaho at 724,000 head.
Both rising per-cow yields and herd expansion contributed to the quarterly increase in milk supply; the per-cow gain was modest, while most of the year-over-year production rise stemmed from added animals in the national herd. The 188,000-head increase reported across the 24 major producing states accounted for the bulk of the year-over-year herd growth noted by NASS.
The 24 major producing states’ 9.18 million head compare to the 9.61 million U.S. total for the quarter, indicating that those states contain the majority of the national herd and drove most of the recent growth. March and quarter figures published by USDA NASS provide the official counts and yield averages for early 2026.
The U.S. herd totaled 9.61 million head in the January–March quarter of 2026.
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