Preliminary data indicates that in 2013, New York produced 741 million pounds of yogurt, up from 695 million pounds in 2012. As confirmed by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, New York was the top ranked yogurt producer in 2013, a position it ascended to in 2012.
New York once again exceeded California, which produced 591 million pounds of yogurt in 2013. For the entire country, USDA-NASS reported total yogurt production of 4,718 million pounds for 2013, up from 4,416 million pounds in 2012. New York accounted for 15.7% of total US yogurt production in 2013.
“For the second year in a row, New
York state has earned the distinction of being the yogurt capital of the
nation. This is another example of how when government and the private
sector work together, as we have done with
New York’s dairy industry to eliminate barriers to growth, the result
is positive economic activity that translates into jobs and new
opportunities for New Yorkers,” said Gov. Andrew Cuomo. “New York’s dairy
farmers and yogurt producers are the cream of the crop
in their industry, and I congratulate them on once again securing this
well-deserved honor.”
This announcement comes on the
heels of news from earlier this year that New York passed Idaho as the
third highest producer of milk in the nation for 2013. Also announced
two weeks ago, Agrana Fruit, the top producer of
fruit preparations for the dairy industry, completed construction of
their new manufacturing and distribution operation in Onondaga County.
Already creating 60 new jobs to date, when fully operational, the
company will employ about 120 people at the
$50 million facility, which will process all types of fruit for yogurt,
including the possibility of New York-grown fruit.
As the company sought to expand its
market presence and meet customer demand in North America, it
considered more than 50 Northeast locations, and ultimately chose New
York. The flourishing yogurt industry was a key factor
in Agrana’s decision, offering the company a central location for
production and distribution to leading yogurt companies in New York as
well as the Northeast and Canada.
The industry is also helping to
spur growth in other sectors of the state, as evidenced by the recent
expansion of Feldmeier Equipment in Herkimer County. As a manufacturer
of stainless steel storage and processing equipment,
Feldmeier’s expansion supplies even more equipment for yogurt companies
including Chobani and FAGE.
In 2013, New York’s dairy
manufacturers employed an estimated 9,470 people with total wages of
$513 million, up from 7,759 jobs and $400 million in wages in 2010.
According to USDA-NASS, cash receipts from marketing of milk
in New York increased from $2.21 billion in 2010 to $2.85 billion in
2013.
New York is a diverse state in the
area of dairy and is also the leading producer of cream cheese and
cottage cheese in the country. In addition to a 6.5 percent increase in
yogurt production, two large dairy plants will
be coming online this year: Cayuga Milk Ingredients (Cayuga County),
which will manufacture dairy ingredients, and WNY Enterprises
(Livingston County), which will use a cold-separation process to make
skim and cream components.
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