About Us

Our Industry Overview

The Oregon dairy industry is a community-conscious, caring business that contributes over $1 billion to Oregon's economic well being each year. 350 dairy farm families, with the help of their 120,000 dairy cows, and the care of the 20 Oregon dairy processors throughout the state, consistently produce top quality, scrumptious dairy products for consumers to enjoy. Oregon dairymen and women care about their cows, their communities, and the land, air and water of Oregon.

The industry, founded when the country was settled about 150 years ago, is committed to stewardship of the land, and Oregon is consistently ranked top in the nation for milk quality.

We believe that success in our industry is based on quality and commitment at all levels. We value the relationship and trust of our consumers and look forward to continuing to provide Oregonians with a wide variety of delicious and healthy dairy products.

Our Dairy Farms

The average farm size in Oregon is 300 acres, and consists of approximately 450 dairy animals per farm. About 75 percent of these animals are Holstein, 20 percent are Jersey and the remaining 5 percent are other breeds. Average milk production per cow is 19,000 pounds annually. Most animals are bred with artificial insemination and are milked twice a day. In coastal areas the cows are pastured most of the year, in the rest of the state they are housed in free-stall barns.

Our Dairy Products

There are three major cooperatives in the state; these cooperatives process milk and market dairy products for their members. Nearly 70 percent of Oregon dairy farmers belong to a cooperative, others ship their milk as independent producers to a specific processor. The total number of dairy processors is twenty. Oregon processors are known nationwide for premium dairy products. They take the high quality milk produced for them on the farm and turn it into award-winning consumer goods. Nearly 60 percent of the state's milk is sold as fluid, the remaining 40 percent goes into cheese, yogurt, sour cream, ice cream, butter and other cultured products. The industry has responded to the needs and wishes of the consumer by consistently providing an increasingly diverse line of dairy products, and to stay competitive all must continue that trend. Dry milk and dry whey is also produced from Oregon milk.

Our Mission

Consumption in Oregon ranks highest in the nation in many areas. Top quality milk and prize-winning products are aggressively and effectively marketed by the Oregon Dairy Products Commission to the state's 3.5 million citizens. The commission is charged with the generic marketing of our products through advertising on radio, television and in print; for in-store marketing and numerous promotional activities; for nutrition education at all levels of the school curriculum, for adult programs and promotions, and for public relations with the media and the consumer. Our promotional dollars come from a mandatory assessment to dairy farmers, currently set at 15 cents of the price paid to a farmer for each 100 pounds of milk he sells. A small percentage of the budget is collected from milk processors.

Our Board of Directors

The board of the Oregon Dairy Products Commission consists of eight members, six are dairy producers, one is a dairy processor, and one is a public member. A state Commodity Commission representative from the Oregon Department of Agriculture is a non-voting member of the board, as is a representative of the Oregon State University Animal Science department.

For more information on the Oregon Dairy Council, visit www.oregondairycouncil.org.