By Julie Murphree, Arizona Farm Bureau Communication and Organization Director: You might hear some detractors discounting the benefits of milk. But, they are only that, detractors. In truth, milk is one of the quickest, healthiest and yummy ways to get a combination of nutrients in a few quick mouthfuls.

As our expert nutritionists will tell you, milk contains protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and fat: Protein is important to fight diseases, renew cells, build muscles and maintain healthy hair and nails. That’s why nutritionists will tell you your diet should provide enough proteins to maintain good health; almost 8 grams in each glass.

“Milk, cheese, and yogurt are more than calcium, they contain high-quality protein along with eight other essential nutrients that your body needs every day. This unique nutrient combination can help you meet your nutritional needs in a deliciously easy way!” Said Terri Verason, Director of Nutrition Education for the Dairy Council of Arizona.

In Arizona, our dairies produce some of the finest dairy products around and it’s local! For a fun statistics, 96% of all Arizona homes have milk in the fridge. This means we need not worry about staying well stocked since our Arizona family dairy farms have nearly 200,000 milk cows to keep us well supplied with the local diary product.


This video Arizona Farm Bureau produced a few years ago highlights how Arizona milk gets to your home: City Slicker, The Udder Truth.

And, if you’re really curious, just last month (February 2017), average milk production of our Arizona milk cows averaged 2,060 pounds or 8.55 gallons of milk per cow per day, according to the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Agriculture Statistical Services (NASS).

Finally, the dairy industry is the second leading agriculture commodity in our state bringing in nearly $800 million to Arizona last year, according to the USDA’s NASS. And, this is just in dairy product revenue. This doesn’t count labor and suppliers to the industry. Dairy matters in our state, to the tune of millions in revenue.

The Arizona Dairy industry brings around $800 million to our state annually. 

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