South Dakota
Learn More About
South Dakota Farmers
- South Dakota Department of Ag
- South Dakota Cooperative Extension Service
- South Dakota Soybean Research and Promotion Council
- South Dakota Beef Industry Council
- Midwest Dairy Association
- South Dakota Pork Producers Council
- South Dakota Wheat Commission
- South Dakota Corn Utilization Council
Learn More about South Dakota Agriculture
- South Dakota Cattleman's Association
- South Dakota Poultry Industries Association
- South Dakota Farm Bureau
- South Dakota Ag in the Classroom
South Dakota Farmers
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South Dakota Dairy Farmer
“My grandfather had a dairy when I was a young child, and I just really enjoyed being around the cows.”
Josh WinquistDairy Farmer
Name: Josh Winquist
Location: Alcester, South Dakota
Years farming: We've been milking cows for almost five years.
My family: My wife is Lindsay, and we have three kids; Alex is seven, Caden is five, and Emily is 1½ years old.
How I came to be a farmer: I grew up on a farm, my parents’ farm, and my grandpa had a dairy farm that I loved being around when I was younger. It was just very natural for me to continue farming.
The best thing about being a farmer: I can be around my family and work with them all day, every day.
My personal philosophy on farming: The dairy farm is a great place to raise our family. We strive to keep our cows extremely comfortable, and provide them with a balanced diet to keep them producing high quality milk.
Dairy Production in South Dakota and the United States
- There are 450 dairy farms and 90,000 dairy cows in South Dakota.
- The annual economic impact of a single dairy cow is $15,524!
- South Dakota dairy cows produce nearly 1.8 billion pounds of milk annually – 19,000 pounds per cow!
- A gallon of milk weighs about 8.5 pounds.
- South Dakota’s agriculture industry has a 21.3 billion impact every year – more than one-third of the entire state’s economic activity!
- A single dairy cow can produce 5 gallons of ice cream daily!
- A cow stands up and sits down around 14 times a day.
- There are approximately 350 “squirts” in a gallon of milk.
- Milk is better than water for cooling your mouth while eating spicy food!
- Plastic milk bottles were first introduced in the U.S. in 1967.
- You’ll find a container of milk in 96% of U.S. households; 94% have cheese.
For more information about dairy farming in South Dakota, please visit www.midwestdairy.com.
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