Louisiana State Drink

Milk

Adopted in 1983.

As a tribute to the state's dairy industry, the Louisiana Legislature decided that milk would be its state drink. So, milk was adopted as the official drink of Louisiana in 1983.

Did you know that: Milk has been proclaimed the official state beverage or drink in each of the following states:

State Symbol: Milk

Arkansas | Delaware | Louisiana | Minnesota | Mississippi | Nebraska
New York | North Carolina | North Dakota | Oregon | Oklahoma | Pennsylvania | South Carolina | South Dakota | Tennessee | Vermont | Virginia | Wisconsin

Louisiana State Drink: Milk

There are 11 certified farm, plant and tanker inspectors and two Public Health Technicians located throughout the state of Louisiana. The Milk and Dairy Program permits and inspects dairy farms, dairy plants, powdered milk plants, condensed milk plants, frozen desert manufacturers, dairy product depots, bulk milk transport vehicles, milk hauler/samplers and milk receivers in the state.

Highlighted Facts

• In Louisiana there are 434 Grade "A" dairy farms.
• There are nine fluid milk-processing plants.
• Louisiana dairy farms produce 1,550,197 pounds of milk per day (180,256 gallons).
• Louisiana fluid milk processing plants package 3,129,486 pounds of milk per day (363,894 gallons).
  In addtion:
• In July 2001, all milk haulers and receivers attained their training for certification as milk samplers as federally required.
• The program participated in the bi-annual National Conference for Interstate Milk Shipments in May 2001.

Where milk comes from and how it's made.
Ever wonder where delicious milk comes from? It all starts with healthy, well-fed cows that live on farms all around America the beautiful.

Pertinent facts

• All cows are females (males are called bulls).
• A cow can't give milk until she's given birth to a calf.
• Cows provide 90% of the world's milk supply.
• A cow's udder can hold 25-50 pounds of milk at a time - no wonder she's so eager to be milked - and a cow gives nearly 200,000 glasses of milk in her lifetime.

Can You Say, "I'm Full?"
Cows are BIG eaters. Did you know that cows have four stomachs and eat 90 pounds of food a day? That's probably more than you weigh! A cow that chows on only grass can make 50 glasses of milk a day. But one that eats grass, corn and hay can make 100 glasses of milk a day!

Milk has a long and rich history. For example, did you know?

1. Sanskrit records mentioned milk 6,000 years ago.
2. The Bible describes the Promised Land as Aa land flowing with milk and honey."
3. The Greek physician Hippocrates recommended milk as a medicine some 2,300 years ago.
4. Christopher Columbus brought cattle to the New World on his second voyage.
5. It has been said that one reason for the high death rate among those who traveled to the New World on the Mayflower was that they had no fresh milk to drink.
6. Cows were brought from Europe to the Jamestown colony in 1611 and to the Plymouth colony in 1624.
7. Cheese was an important item in the diet of the Vikings, who from about the 8th to the 10th century sailed the seas on long voyages.
8. Cheese was an article of commerce in ancient Rome. Monks developed the art of cheese making in Europe in the Middle Ages.

Louisiana Law

The law designating milk as the official Louisiana state drink is found in the Louisiana Statutes, Title 49, Section RS 49:170

TITLE 49 - State administration
RS 49:170 - State drink

Universal Citation: LA Rev Stat § 49:170

§170. State drink

There shall be an official state drink. The official state drink shall be milk.

Added by Acts 1983, No. 6, §1.