Virginia’s dairy industry accounted for about $2.3 billion in economic output in the commonwealth last year and employed nearly 8,000 people.
Findings on The Economic Contribution of the Dairy Industry in Virginia were releasedSept. 4 by the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service at the University of Virginia. The study was conducted for the Virginia State Dairymen’s Association.
The state’s dairy industry includes not only dairy farming and milk production but also the processing of fluid and condensed milk and products like butter, cheese and ice cream. The study estimated that 7,975 people were directly employed in the industry in 2014.
When the multiplier effect of payments to dairy-related Virginia businesses and labor were considered, that workforce increased to 13,819 workers.
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