Nicole Schaendorf, 2009 Senior Michigan Dairy Ambassador, shared her experiences of her study abroad trip to Australia in her presentation during the Partners’ Program at GLRDC titled, “Dairy Down Under: Comparing the U.S. and Australian Dairy Industries.” Here are a few facts that I thought would be of interest to World Dairy Diary readers:

When comparing the U.S. to Australia, dairy contributes $31 billion to the U.S. economy, while Australia dairy producers contributes only $3.3 billion to their economy.

77% of dairy farms in the U.S. have fewer than 100 cows, while the average size of the Australian dairy farm is 214 cows.

There are 60,000 dairy farms in the U.S., with 99% being family owned. There are only 7,950 farms in Australia, down 50% from 25 years ago.

Just some interesting tid bits from down under, mate. I hope you enjoyed it!