Can Massachusetts Produce It's Own Milk?

In 2006, Massachusetts produced 278 million pounds of milk. But was this enough milk for everyone living in the state that year?

The answer is no.

The graph below shows that the amount of milk supplied by Massachusetts' dairy farmers in 2006 was not nearly enough to satisfy Massachusetts' demand for milk. In 2006 the U.S. Census Bureau estimated Massachusetts' population at 6,437,193 people. By multiplying this number by the national per capita demand for fluid milk (205 pounds), Massachusetts' total demand for fluid milk was estimated at 1,319 million pounds. Massachusetts' demand for all dairy products (i.e. their milk equivalent) was even higher at 3,868 million pounds. Although Massachusetts' dairy farmers were unable to meet the demand in 2006, it is important to note that they were not able to do so even in the 1970's when the population was smaller and when there were many more dairy farms in operation.