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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 growth.
On water, presenters stressed that roughly 85–95 percent of the dairy water footprint is tied to feed production. On‑farm water uses—drinking, parlor sanitation, milking equipment cooling, manure flushing and animal cooling—are a smaller share. K‑State‑compiled pumping records from a sample of farms (2000–2009) found on‑farm blue‑water (ground and surface water) used per lactating cow ranged roughly from 49 to 72 gallons per cow per day across facility types; some producer/industry data from other states showed similar or lower figures after system improvements and wastewater recycling.
Presenters highlighted water recycling and wastewater reuse as a major opportunity. On several Kansas operations, lagoon effluent irrigated to crops reduces net groundwater pumping for feed production; one plant and farm example cited combined process recovery and irrigation saving hundreds of millions of gallons per year. The presenters also noted that shifts in cropping choices (more drought‑tolerant forages and genomic improvements in corn) and manure management (less flushing, more solids capture, digesters) reduce irrigation demand and evaporation losses from lagoons.
Burock emphasized that many efficiency gains have come from facility design (free‑stall barns, ventilation, targeted cow cooling) and better feed management. He asked for continued investment in research infrastructure (K‑State field facilities) to evaluate forage options and best practices under Kansas conditions.
Ending: Dairy presenters called for better data collection on farm and processing water flows, for recognition that feed production dominates the dairy water footprint, and for coordinated funding and research to test drought‑tolerant feed strategies and wastewater reuse that reduce groundwater pumping.
