Texas' dairy industry has been hit hard by drought in the last few years, but a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service specialist says that the industry is beginning to recover.

Dr. Ellen Jordan, a Dallas dairy specialist, said that milk production in the Texas Panhandle has increased as a result of rain received since May, according to a recent AgriLife Today article.

"We had a number of very rough years with the drought in 2011 and 2012, and producers kind of held their own," Jordan said. "Now we are beginning to see a little growth again in our industry. We aren't seeing so many new farms go in, but some of the dairies that are here have expanded a little bit."

"In addition to seeing an increase in the number of dairy cows in this region, we are processing the milk in this region, so we are keeping additional jobs in this area for economic development," Jordan said. "And those are pretty high-paying jobs."

Another sign of recovery is declining feed prices. "As that reduction happens, it has really been positive for dairy. We are starting to see that with our soy bean and and protein costs. So everything is getting more positive with our ability to feed those cattle," said Darren Turley of the Texas Association of Dairymen in a NewsChannel 10 report.

"The panhandle dairy is huge in Texas. That is where most of our milk comes from; that is going to continue to be where a lot of our milk is produced. There is no way around it. You have this great climate; you have a lot of feed; it is a good place to milk cows," said Turley.

Jordan said that "roughly two-thirds" of Texas' milk production is in the panhandle region, and the dairy industry in the region has grown from about 20,000 cows in 2001 to about 285,000 cows in 2014.

"Although right now our prices on milk are up, we expect them to drop as we move into the new year because we are seeing an increase in production." said Jordan in the NewsChannel 10 report. PD

—Summarized by Progressive Dairyman staff from cited sources