RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Virginia's dairy industry has a big economic footprint in Virginia, with nearly 8,000 people directly employed in the milking business.
A study by the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service at the University of Virginia found that the dairy industry has a $3.2 billion economic output.
When the impact of dairy-related businesses is assessed, nearly 14,000 people can trace their jobs to the dairy industry, according to the study.
Virginia's dairy industry is concentrated in the Shenandoah Valley and southwest Virginia. The Virginia Farm Bureau Federation says those regions provide the best forage conditions.
Rockingham County is the top dairy county with some 25,000 milkers. That accounts for more than a quarter of the state's 93,000-head dairy herd.
