The Landscape of Dairy in CNY and the Southern Tier

The counties of Central New York and the Southern Tier — among them Broome, Cayuga, Chemung, Chenango, Cortland, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga, Schuyler, Tioga, and Tompkins — form one of the most productive dairy regions in the northeastern United States. The landscape here is made for it: gentle hills, fertile valleys, an abundance of groundwater, and a climate suited to growing the grasses and corn silage that dairy herds depend on.

New York State as a whole is a dairy powerhouse. The state is home to roughly 3,000 dairy farms producing approximately 16 billion pounds of milk each year, and dairy remains New York's largest agricultural sector, generating over $14 billion in economic activity and supporting more than 50,000 jobs statewide. The region hosts nearly 300 world-recognized dairy processing plants.

Cornell Cooperative Extension's South Central New York Dairy and Field Crops team — a partnership serving Broome, Cayuga, Chemung, Cortland, Onondaga, Tioga, and Tompkins counties — works directly with producers across these 11 counties to track farm performance and provide education. Their annual Dairy Farm Business Summary reports paint a picture of an industry defined by dedication: in recent years, farms in the region have reported average herd sizes exceeding 1,000 cows, with farms ranging from small family operations of under 300 head to large commercial enterprises exceeding 2,100 cows.

Sources:

• cals.cornell.edu

• www.nydairy.co

• agriculture.ny.gov