There’s no better way to beat the heat of summer months than with ice cream, according to Dairy Management Inc. and National Milk Producers Federation. In July, Americans will enjoy more than 140 million gallons of ice cream. That’s more than any other month, and why July is National Ice Cream Month.

But, what could be cooler than ice cream this summer? Would you believe dairy farmers? According to a national survey of 500 adults recently conducted by the research company Roper-Starch Worldwide for Dairy Management, Inc.(TM) (DMI), and the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), 74 percent of Americans believe dairy farmers make a significant contribution to society — only teachers (89 percent) and doctors (88 percent) ranked higher.

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Other Interesting Facts

About ice cream

  • President Ronald Reagan in 1984 designated July as National Ice Cream Month and the third Sunday of the month as National Ice Cream Day. This year, celebrate Ice Cream Day July 16.
  • Nearly 10 percent of all the milk produced by U.S. dairy farmers is used to produce ice cream, which is enjoyed by 90 percent of the nation’s population.
  • It takes 12 pounds of whole milk to make one gallon of ice cream.
  • In 1998, U.S. production of ice cream and related frozen desserts totaled more than 1.6 billion gallons. That’s equal to 24.01 quarts per person.
  • Per capita ice cream consumption in the United States is about 25 pounds, or nearly 7 quarts per year.
  • Based on supermarket sales of ice cream, the top five flavors in terms of share of segment in the United States are: vanilla (29.2 percent); nut (10.7 percent); chocolate (9.8 percent); fruit (8.8 percent); and Neapolitan (8.1 percent).
  • Records kept by a Chatham Street, New York, merchant show that President George Washington spent approximately $200 for ice cream during the summer of 1790.
  • Italo Marchiony, who emigrated from Italy to New York City in the late 1800s, produced the first ice cream cone in 1896.

Sources: Dairy Management, Inc.; International Dairy Foods Association; ACNielsen Scan Trak

About the dairy industry

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  • Of the 1.9 million farms in the United States, nearly 100,000 are classified as dairy farms.
  • Families own 99 percent of America’s dairy farms.
  • A typical dairy cow weighs 1,400 pounds.
  • Dairy cows produce 5 gallons of milk daily.
  • Dairy cows spend only 10 to 20 minutes in the milking process each day.
  • After being pasteurized to ensure purity, milk generally travels between 50 to 100 miles from the dairy farm to store shelves.

Sources: Dairy Management, Inc., National Milk Producers Federation, USDA Agriculture Census 1997