Milk was designated the official state drink of Maryland in 1998. most Maryland milk cows are Holsteins and can be recognized by their large black and white spots. In 1999, Maryland had some 85,000 milk cows throughout the State.
A single cow can produce up to 8 gallons of milk, consume about 80 pounds of feed, and drink 30 to 40 gallons of water per day. Milked twice a day, Maryland cows produced 1.365 billion pounds of milk in 1999. Milk has been called a nearly perfect food - a source of protein, calcium, and several other important nutrients.
Holstein calf photo by Ian Hayhurst on Flickr -
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Only a portion of the milk produced is drank as a beverage, the rest is used for butter, cheese, ice cream, yogurt, milk powder and other processed products.
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