Those California cheese makers are cranking it out at a record pace according to the latest from the California Milk Advisory Board.

California’s growing cheese production passed the two billion-pound mark, reaching a record 2.14 billion pounds in 2005, according to a preliminary report by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA). The state’s cheese production grew by 7.1 percent last year, nearly three times the rate of cheese production growth reported nationally (2.6 percent) by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Cheese production in California has more than doubled over the past decade, from 1.04 billion pounds in 1996, as the state rapidly approaches the leadership position for cheese production nationwide. California milk production also reached a record high in 2005, totaling 37.5 billion pounds, a three percent increase over 2004, according to CDFA. California is the nation’s leading milk producer and nearly half of California’s milk supply goes to cheese production. (It takes 10 pounds of milk to make one pound of cheese.)

That’s certainly a lot to moo about.