WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman David G. Valadao (CA-22) spoke on the House Floor in honor of National Dairy Month. The Central Valley is home to the leading dairy producing counties in the state of California, which produces the most milk out of any state in the U.S.

“As the Representative for America’s largest dairy producing counties and Congress’ only dairy farmer, I know firsthand the challenges the men and women in the dairy industry face every day,” said Congressman Valadao. “But like all our agricultural producers in the Valley, dairy farmers continue to produce America’s dairy products, care for their animals, and support their communities.”

Remarks as prepared:

June is National Dairy Month, and I want to take this opportunity to thank all the dairy farmers in the Central Valley for their commitment to supplying America with the dairy products we all know and love.

 If you’re a fan of cheese, ice cream, yogurt, or just a regular glass of cold milk – there’s a pretty good chance it was produced in California’s 22^nd District.

California is the number one milk-producing state in the country, housing over 1,100 dairies – 99% of those are family owned. 

80 percent of California’s 1.7 million milk cows live in the Central Valley. Tulare County alone houses over 450,000 milk cows.

As the Representative for America’s largest dairy producing counties and Congress’ only dairy farmer, I know firsthand the challenges the men and women in the dairy industry face every day.

But like all our agricultural producers in the Valley, dairy farmers continue to produce America’s dairy products, care for their animals, and support their communities.

I ask all of my colleagues to join me in raising a glass of milk to our dairy farmers as we celebrate National Dairy Month.