Milk, beef production among Washington's top ag products

By Greg Cima

Jill L. Stevenson, an incoming veterinary student at Washington State University, hugs a cow in Sunnyside, Wash. (Courtesy of Dr. Dale Moore)Washington state is top in the nation in producing apples, cherries, and pears. And it's second at growing grapes and potatoes.

But cattle production, both for milk and meat, has been second only to apples in the amount of income generated by the state's agriculture producers.

Washington's dairy cattle produced about 643 million gallons of milk in 2007, and the dairy industry topped $1 billion in sales for the first time in 2007, the last year for which figures are available. The beef cattle industry brought in about $580 million.

Two-thirds of the state's 39 counties have milk or beef cattle producers. Dr. Leonard Eldridge, state veterinarian for Washington, said the entire state is involved in agriculture in some way, and production methods are much like those in the rest of the country.

Washington's dairies are most prominent in the western part of the state near the Canadian border, near the Pacific coast, and in the Columbia Basin east of the Cascade Mountains, said Mike Louisell, spokesman for the state agriculture department. Beef production is largely based in central and eastern Washington.

Poultry and egg production is a much smaller industry, but it generates about $150 million for the state. Other livestock include buffalo, sheep, goats, and llamas.

Approximately 400 of the state's 2,500 veterinarians work in large or mixed animal practice, said Dr. Candace Joy, executive vice president of the Washington State VMA.

Dr. Dale Moore, director of the Washington State University Veterinary Medicine Extension and a professor in veterinary clinical sciences, said that, similar to other agricultural industries, Washington's cattle business shows the state's aptitude for food production.

Washington's dairy farmers have adopted a variety of production systems, Dr. Moore said. Open-barn and free-stall dairy farms are prominent in central Washington, whereas organic and pasture farms are prominent west of the Cascades. Most cow-calf herds have about 60 cows.

As for beef ranchers, the cattle are often not the only thing they raise. "Many of our beef producers are crop farmers, so they may raise wheat, lentils, beans, or hay and then utilize the cows to consume the remainder of what's left after harvesting," Dr. Moore said.

Dr. Michael J. Anderson, a food animal practitioner in northwestern Washington, said the area has a favorable climate for dairies and good core infrastructure and support services that have attracted qualified dairymen for a long time. He is a veterinarian with Kulshan Veterinary Hospital in Lynden, which provides services to an area with about 50,000 dairy cows and a mix of sheep, goats, llamas, alpacas, and pets.

Dr. Anderson said Washington's dairy farmers are following beef producers in moving east in the state. The move takes them away from denser residential areas to regions where more land is available and cattle can be closer to feed sources.

Though urbanization in Portland and Seattle plays a role in the move east, Dr. Anderson said much of the land in western Washington has become more valuable for growing crops such as raspberries and blueberries.

High feed and fuel costs have hurt food animal producers this year, Dr. Anderson said. In talking with some veterinarians, Dr. Moore heard dire news about the impact of the high costs and low animal product prices.

"There's going to be some producers that are going to be going out of business because, particularly in dairy, the (product) prices are low and the corn prices are high, so the equations look bad," Dr. Moore said. "And that would be true for beef feeders, too, if they have relied on corn to feed out their cattle."

"There has been a lot of belt tightening in the last couple of years because of corn prices, just like everywhere else across the country."

Dr. Anderson said he assumes clients will survive the economic downturn, but veterinarians and producers also need to address pressures for legislation regarding air and water quality, noise, and animal welfare. Advancements in food production have diminished the proportion of the population who work in agriculture, he said, and those in agriculture are trying to figure out how to connect with and educate consumers to create rules and regulations that benefit the animals, producers, and consumers.

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	146th AVMA Annual Convention Daily News—Saturday, July 11, 2009—Seattle, WA Convention News > News headlines > Seattle's agricultural products Milk, beef production among Washington's top ag products By Greg Cima Jill L. Stevenson, an incoming veterinary student at Washington State University, hugs a cow in Sunnyside, Wash. (Courtesy of Dr. Dale Moore)Washington state is top in the nation in producing apples, cherries, and pears. And it's second at growing grapes and potatoes. But cattle production, both for milk and meat, has been second only to apples in the amount of income generated by the state's agriculture producers. Washington's dairy cattle produced about 643 million gallons of milk in 2007, and the dairy industry topped $1 billion in sales for the first time in 2007, the last year for which figures are available. The beef cattle industry brought in about $580 million. Two-thirds of the state's 39 counties have milk or beef cattle producers. Dr. Leonard Eldridge, state veterinarian for Washington, said the entire state is involved in agriculture in some way, and production methods are much like those in the rest of the country. Washington's dairies are most prominent in the western part of the state near the Canadian border, near the Pacific coast, and in the Columbia Basin east of the Cascade Mountains, said Mike Louisell, spokesman for the state agriculture department. Beef production is largely based in central and eastern Washington. Poultry and egg production is a much smaller industry, but it generates about $150 million for the state. Other livestock include buffalo, sheep, goats, and llamas. Approximately 400 of the state's 2,500 veterinarians work in large or mixed animal practice, said Dr. Candace Joy, executive vice president of the Washington State VMA. Dr. Dale Moore, director of the Washington State University Veterinary Medicine Extension and a professor in veterinary clinical sciences, said that, similar to other agricultural industries, Washington's cattle business shows the state's aptitude for food production. Washington's dairy farmers have adopted a variety of production systems, Dr. Moore said. Open-barn and free-stall dairy farms are prominent in central Washington, whereas organic and pasture farms are prominent west of the Cascades. Most cow-calf herds have about 60 cows. As for beef ranchers, the cattle are often not the only thing they raise. "Many of our beef producers are crop farmers, so they may raise wheat, lentils, beans, or hay and then utilize the cows to consume the remainder of what's left after harvesting," Dr. Moore said. Dr. Michael J. Anderson, a food animal practitioner in northwestern Washington, said the area has a favorable climate for dairies and good core infrastructure and support services that have attracted qualified dairymen for a long time. He is a veterinarian with Kulshan Veterinary Hospital in Lynden, which provides services to an area with about 50,000 dairy cows and a mix of sheep, goats, llamas, alpacas, and pets. Dr. Anderson said Washington's dairy farmers are following beef producers in moving east in the state. The move takes them away from denser residential areas to regions where more land is available and cattle can be closer to feed sources. Though urbanization in Portland and Seattle plays a role in the move east, Dr. Anderson said much of the land in western Washington has become more valuable for growing crops such as raspberries and blueberries. High feed and fuel costs have hurt food animal producers this year, Dr. Anderson said. In talking with some veterinarians, Dr. Moore heard dire news about the impact of the high costs and low animal product prices. "There's going to be some producers that are going to be going out of business because, particularly in dairy, the (product) prices are low and the corn prices are high, so the equations look bad," Dr. Moore said. "And that would be true for beef feeders, too, if they have relied on corn to feed out their cattle." "There has been a lot of belt tightening in the last couple of years because of corn prices, just like everywhere else across the country." Dr. Anderson said he assumes clients will survive the economic downturn, but veterinarians and producers also need to address pressures for legislation regarding air and water quality, noise, and animal welfare. Advancements in food production have diminished the proportion of the population who work in agriculture, he said, and those in agriculture are trying to figure out how to connect with and educate consumers to create rules and regulations that benefit the animals, producers, and consumers. Return to previous page