South Dakota State Drink

Milk

(lac vaccum)

Adopted in 1983.

Milk, (lac vaccum,) was adopted in 1983 as the South Dakota State Drink.

Agriculture is the number one industry in South Dakota providing a $16.3 billion economic impact to the state. Dairy products are the second leading livestock commodity in cash receipts. The state's milk production in 2000 totaled 1,634 million pounds, up from 1,507 million in 1999. The average number of milk cows, at 102,000 head, was unchanged from last year, and production per cow, at 16,020, increased 1,245 pounds (8 percent) in 2000. Most of our milk is processed into cheese, milk powder and whey blends, then exported to other states. Although total dairy farm numbers are declining, many producers are enhancing their operations to become more efficient and profitable.

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 Dakota State Drink: Milk

Milk is a white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. Early-lactation milk contains colostrum, which carries the mother's antibodies to the baby and can reduce the risk of many diseases in the baby. It also contains many other nutrients.

• In the state of South Dakota, there are about 263 licensed dairy herds.
• South Dakota dairy farms produced approximately 235 million gallons of milk in 2013.
• South Dakota farms generate approximately $388 million in milk sales annually.
• South Dakota is the 21st largest milk-producing state in the U.S.
• In South Dakota, the average dairy cow produces about 6.8 gallons of milk per day. That's more than 2,502 gallons of milk over the course of a typical year.
• South Dakota has 9 plants that process one or more dairy products.
• The average person consumes 6 pounds of cheese a year, and South Dakota produces enough of this dairy food for 44 million people.
• It takes about 48 hours for milk to travel from the farm to the dairy case.

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 Dakota Law

The law designating milk as the official South Dakota state drink is found in the South Dakota Codified Laws, Title 1, Chapter 1-6, Section 1-6-16

TITLE 1 STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT
CHAPTER 1-6 STATE EMBLEMS
SECTION 1-6-16

1-6-16. State drink. Milk, lac vaccum, is hereby designated as the official drink of the State of South Dakota.

Source: SL 1986, ch 10.