Ohio’s dairy farmers do more than just produce milk — they create jobs, contribute to their communities and help drive Ohio’s economy. The total economic impact of dairy products produced and sold in Ohio is $23.44 billion.
Food and agriculture is the number one contributor to Ohio’s economy, and farming provides one out of every eight jobs in Ohio, according to the Ohio Livestock Coalition.
In Ohio, dairy farming families milk more than 261,000 dairy cows on about 2,200 dairy farms. As milk makes its journey from farm to table, it employs farm workers, trucker drivers, construction workers, factory workers, retailers and more.
Ohio’s dairy industry provides 114,053 jobs for Ohioans, based on a 2018 report by the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA). Nationally, said IDFA research, the dairy industry creates nearly 3 million U.S. jobs and has an overall economic impact of more than $628 billion. Ohio exports $144 million in dairy products each year, generating $418 million in economic impact and creating 2,030 jobs that help lift the state’s economy.
This information was shared during the American Dairy Association Mideast’s Evening on the Farm event. The event, hosted with Columbus Business First, brought together more than 70 central Ohio business leaders and dairy farmers at Shipley Farms in Newark, Ohio to learn about today’s dairy farming practices.
“It was a wonderful evening connecting business leaders with local dairy farmers. We were able to share how dairy farmers care for their cows, the land and the environment, and the important role they play in Ohio’s economy,” said Scott Higgins, CEO of the American Dairy Association Mideast.
Source: Ohio Ag Net