Dairy Month

By virtue of the authority vested by the Constitution of Virginia in the Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, there is hereby officially recognized:

Dairy Month

WHEREAS, milk has been the official beverage of the Commonwealth since 1982; and

WHEREAS, dairy products and milk are Virginia’s fourth-leading agricultural commodity with over $395 million in cash receipts in 2022; and

WHEREAS, as of January 1, 2024, there are 66,000 dairy cows in Virginia which produced more than 1.42 billion pounds of milk in 2023; and

WHEREAS, the Commonwealth’s top five milk-producing counties, as determined by head of cattle, are Rockingham, Franklin, Pittsylvania, Augusta, and Washington counties; and

WHEREAS, the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has active permits for 368 dairy farms in the Commonwealth with 345 of these being Grade A dairy farms, fifteen commercial milk processing plants, and seven on-farm bottling plants; and

WHEREAS, many of Virginia’s dairy farmers operate creameries that sell milk, ice cream, and other dairy products to the public which provides an opportunity for more citizenry to buy local and learn more about Virginia agriculture; and

WHEREAS, Virginia's dairy farmers work year-round to produce delicious and nutritious dairy products; and

WHEREAS, a cup of milk has 8.4 grams of protein and provides 50 percent of the recommended daily allowance of calcium and 23 percent of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin A;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Glenn Youngkin, do hereby recognize June 2024, as DAIRY MONTH in the COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, and I call this observance to the attention of all our citizens.

Governor of Virginia

Proclamations