Top 50 Co-Ops

The top 50 cooperatives in the U.S. marketed a little over 144 billion pounds of milk in 2006 or 79 percent on milk produced. Overall, U.S. milk production in 2006 was up 2.8 percent, and the milk marketed by the top 50 cooperatives rose just over 2 billion pounds, or 1 percent, from 2005. Even though total co-op member milk pounds was up over the previous year, the top 50 cooperatives share of U.S. milk production was down nearly 0.75 percent, meaning slightly more milk was marketed outside the top 50 cooperatives. Farm numbers among the top 50 co-ops dropped 2,415 or 5 percent, from 2005.

The top 10 cooperatives, based on member milk production, were almost the same as last year. Foremost Farms USA, Baraboo, Wis., moved up two slots from No. 8 to 6 with 5.255 billion pounds. The top 10 cooperatives handled 59 percent of the nation's milk supply.

Upstate Niagara Cooperative debuted on the list this year at No. 18, the product of a merger between Upstate Farms Cooperative and Niagara Milk Cooperative. Allied Federal Cooperatives, No. 29 last year, no longer exists due to a merger with Agri-Mark. AMPI merged with Cass-Clay Creamery on March 2007. Because our list is based on 2006 information, Cass-Clay Creamery was included as its own entity.

The biggest jump for this year was Hastings Cooperative Creamery Association from Hastings, Minn., which bumped up to No. 44 this year, compared to No. 50 last year. With all of the mergers, two cooperatives were added to the list. Calhoun Cooperative Creamery Co., of Lansing, Iowa, appeared for the first time at No. 46, marketing 0.175 billion pounds of milk, and Northwest Independent Milk Producers Association in Mt. Vernon, Wash., made its first appearance of the list at No. 49 with 0.149 billion pounds of milk.

The co-op handling the most milk per farm was Continental Dairy Products from Artesia, N.M. It processed 63.7 million pounds per farm.

Information for the top 50 cooperative list is gathered by Hoard's Dairyman every summer. Each cooperative is contacted and asked to provide information on the previous year's production. Because cooperatives have differing ending dates for their fiscal year, milk volume and member farms may not necessarily represent the 2006 calendar year.

Rank	Dairy cooperative	Member milk volume (bil. lbs.)	Member farms	Rank	Dairy cooperative	Member milk volume (bil. lbs.)	Member Farms
1	Dairy Farmers of America Kansas City, MO.	37.599	11,306	26	Woodstock Progressive Milk Producers Assn. Woodstock, IL.	1.125	450
2	California Dairies, Inc. Visalia, CA.	16.932	634	27	Magic Valley Quality Milk Producers Jerome, ID.	1.000	37
3	Land O'Lakes, Inc. St. Paul, MN.	12.260	3,178	28	Bongards Creameries Bongards, MN.	0.807	421
4	Northwest Dairy Association Seattle, WA.	7.680	604	29	Lanco-Pennland Quality Milk Producers Hagerstown, MD	0.681	790
5	Dairylea Cooperative, Inc. Syracuse, NY.	5.400	2,300	30	Zia Milk Producers, Inc. Roswell, N.M.	0.670	14
6	Foremost Farms USA Baraboo, WI.	5.255	2,832	31	Farmers Cooperative Creamery McMinnville, OR.	0.644	76
7	Associated Milk Producers, Inc. New Ulm, MN.	5.100	3,400	32	Tillamook County Creamery Assn Tillamook, OR.	0.582	130
8	Family Dairies USA Madison, WI.	4.859	3,697	33	Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery Ellsworth, WI.	0.580	525
9	Manitowoc Milk Producers Cooperative Manitowoc, WI	4.400	2,914	34	Mount Joy Farmers Co-op Assn. Mount Joy, PA.	0.516	272
10	Select Milk Producers, Inc. Artesia, N.M.	4.220	79	35	Plainview Milk Products Co-op Plainview, MN.	0.515	293
11	Michigan Milk Producers Assn. Novi, MI.	3.514	1,577	36	Conesus Milk Producers Co-op Perry, N.Y.	0.419	100
12	Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers Co-op Reston, VA.	3.054	1,517	37	Cal-West Dairymen, Inc. Walnut Creek, CA.	0.331	19
13	United Dairymen of Arizona Tempe, AZ.	2.896	87	38	Lowville Producers Dairy Cooperative, Inc. Lowville, N.Y.	0.286	205
14	Southeast Milk, Inc. Belleview, FL.	2.880	329	39	Burnett Dairy Cooperative Granstburg, WI.	0.282	240
15	Agri-Mark, Inc. Lawrence, MA.	2.591	1,366	40	Cass-Clay Creamery, Inc. Fargo, ND.	0.261	172
16	Lone Star Milk Producers Windthorst, TX.	2.100	242	41	Humboldt Creamery Fortuna, CA.	0.235	50
17	Milwaukee Cooperative Milk Producers Brookfield, WI.	1.950	640	42	Mid-west Dairymen's Company Rockford, IL.	0.229	157
18	Upstate Niagara Cooperative, Inc. Buffalo, N.Y.	1.539	426	43	Cooperative Milk Producers Association, Inc. Blackstone, VA	0.211	95
19	Alto Dairy Cooperative Waupun, WI.	1.500	475	44	Hastings Cooperative Creamery Assn. Hastings MN.	0.198	128
20	Prairie Farms Dairy, Inc. Carlinville, IL.	1.413	787	45	Sunrise Ag Cooperative Buckman MN.	0.196	169
21	Continental Dairy Products, Inc. Artesia, N.M.	1.403	22	46	Calhoun Cooperative Creamery Co. Lansing, IA.	0.175	85
22	Swiss Valley Farms Company Davenport, IA.	1.402	867	47	Southeastern Graded Milk Producers Assn. Somerset, KY.	0.165	192
23	St. Albans Cooperative Creamery St. Albans, VT.	1.261	502	48	Country Classic Dairies, Inc Bozeman, Mont.	0.160	53
24	First District Association Litchfield, MN.	1.246	803	49	Northwest Independent Milk Producers Assn. Mt. Vernon, WA.	0.149	21
25	Security Milk Producers Association Ontario, CA.	1.204	33	50	Arkansas Dairy Co-op Assn. Damascus, AK.	0.143	103
Member of National Milk Producers Federation					TOTAL	144.218	45,414

Member of National Milk Producers Federation
Used by permission from the October 10, 2007 issue of Hoard's Dairyman. Copyright, 2007.

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