South Carolina State Beverage

Milk

Adopted in 1984.

Milk was designated as the official State Beverage by Act Number 360 of 1984. The General Assembly found that dairy farmers are found in almost every county in the State, and the dairy industry is a one hundred million dollar enterprise for the State.

Milk was adopted as the official beverage of South Carolina for the following reasons as offered by the General Assembly in 1984:

1. Milk and milk by-products, such as cheese, were considered to offer a "healthy but varied diet;"
2. It was considered that over 20% of the nation's protein was provided by dairy products;
3. It was also cited that 72% of the nation's calcium was provided by dairy products;
4. Diary farmers were present in all but seven counties;
5. "Nearly fifty thousand cows produce nearly five hundred seventy million pounds of milk annually in the State with a gross volume alone of over eighty-nine million sixty-two thousand dollars;"
6. It was concluded that the dairy industry in South Carolina "represented a one hundred million dollar enterprise.

There were an estimated 99 million pounds of milk produced in SOUTH CAROLINA during the April-June quarter of 2002. This is up 1 percent from the April-June 2001 quarter, but down 3 percent from January-March 2002 quarter. There were 20,000 milk cows on South Carolina farms during April-June, 2002, down 1,000 head from the same quarter in 2001, but unchanged from the January-March, 2002 quarter.

Did you know that: Milk has been proclaimed the official state beverage or drink in each of the following states:

State Symbol: Milk

Arkansas | Delaware | Louisiana | Minnesota | Mississippi | Nebraska
New York | North Carolina | North Dakota | Oregon | Oklahoma | Pennsylvania | South Carolina | South Dakota | Tennessee | Vermont | Virginia | Wisconsin

South Carolina State Beverage: Milk

The quarterly production of milk for the UNITED STATES was 44.0 billion pounds, 3.0 percent above the April-June period last year. The average number of milk cows in the US during the April-June quarter was 9.15 million head, 33,000 head more than the same period last year.

Each dairy cow produces about 6.5 gallons of milk per day. Less than half of this milk is consumed as a beverage - the rest is used for butter, cheese, ice cream, milk powder and other processed products.

Where milk comes from and how it's made.
Ever wonder where delicious milk comes from? It all starts with healthy, well-fed cows that live on farms all around America the beautiful.

• All cows are females (males are called bulls).
• A cow can't give milk until she's given birth to a calf.
• Cows provide 90% of the world's milk supply.
• A cow's udder can hold 25-50 pounds of milk at a time - no wonder she's so eager to be milked - and a cow gives nearly 200,000 glasses of milk in her lifetime.

Can You Say, "I'm Full?"
Cows are BIG eaters. Did you know that cows have four stomachs and eat 90 pounds of food a day? That's probably more than you weigh! A cow that chows on only grass can make 50 glasses of milk a day. But one that eats grass, corn and hay can make 100 glasses of milk a day!

South Carolina Law

The law designating milk as the official South Carolina state beverage is found in the South Carolina Code of Laws, Title 1, Chapter 1, Article 9, Section 1-1-700.

Title 1 - Administration of the Government
CHAPTER 1. GENERAL PROVISIONS
ARTICLE 9. STATE EMBLEMS, PLEDGE TO STATE FLAG, OFFICIAL OBSERVANCES
SECTION 1-1-690.

SECTION 1-1-690. Official State beverage.

Milk is the official state beverage.