The USDA Milk Production report, released on December 19, reports that milk production across the 24 major milk-producing states fell 0.8% in November 2024 compared to the same month in 2023. The total came in at 17.2 billion pounds, which is the lowest monthly figure this year.

The results mark the first year-over-year decline since July. California experienced the steepest drop, with production plummeting 9.2% to 2,957 million pounds. Wisconsin also saw a 0.3% decrease to 2,576 million pounds.

The number of milk cows remained high, at 8.923 million head reported in November. This is an increase of 32,000 from November 2023.

Milk production per cow averaged 1,925 pounds in November. This is a 22-pound decrease from the same period last year and the lowest monthly average in 2024. Only February (1,962 pounds) and September (1,968 pounds) recorded averages below 2,000 pounds this year.

Read more results from the USDA Milk Production report here.