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Dairy expansion in Kansas raises water‑footprint questions but producers report low on‑farm use and rising efficiency
Summary
Kansas dairy specialists told the task force the state’s dairies have expanded and become more efficient: most water used to support dairies is for feed production, not on‑farm drinking or processing, and recycling wastewater to irrigate crops reduces net groundwater pumped.
Kansas State University dairy specialists presented data and recommendations about the state’s rapidly growing dairy sector and its water footprint.
Extension dairy specialist Mike Burock summarized trends: Kansas dairies have grown from roughly 77,000 cows in the 1990s to more than 200,000 lactating cows in mid‑2025, while the number of dairy farms has fallen but existing farms have become much larger. Increased milk per cow and concentration of production account for most production gains. Burock said Kansas is a net exporter of milk and that expanding on‑state processing has supported herd…
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