Dairy industry provides big contribution to rural economies
Nebraska's dairy industry produced about 1 billion pounds of
milk last year, and in the process it helped drive the economy
in many rural communities through employment, taxes, purchasing
feed and equipment and more. "The state's dairy receipts totaled
about $200 million last year, but when you figure in the impact
that reverberates through the economy based on those dollars,
the true economic impact is in the neighborhood of $500
million," said Randy Klein of the Nebraska Corn Board. Klein
noted that for each 75 cows a dairy has, it directly employs one
person. That means a 300-head dairy would employ about four
people. A 1,200 cow dairy would employ about 16 people. "Really,
employment goes well beyond the dairy farm because a dairy needs
feed, veterinary care, equipment, trucking, milk processing and
more. Dairies are incredible at boosting rural economies," Klein
said. An average cow consumes about $1,000 in feed each year,
which means Nebraska's