Iowa's Dairy Center Museum

The museum at Iowa’s Dairy Center tells a special story about the history of dairy farming in Iowa. Each of these unique pieces were donated to help form the wonderful collection we have today. From cattle registry certificates and grand champion banners, to glass milk bottles and surge buckets, plenty of time can be spent looking through the array of pieces that give a glimpse into the past of Iowa dairy farming. As you follow the cow footprints around the corner to the left, you will notice large maps of the United States and Iowa. These maps showcase the dairy industry in 1925 and 2020. There are some very noticeable differences! Although Iowa has fewer cows today as compared to 1925, there is much more milk being produced! Thanks to genetics, nutrition and cow comfort, the cows in Iowa are able to produce almost 200 times more milk today than in 1925. As for the United States, the top three dairy producing states include California, Wisconsin, and Idaho. As a country, the United States dairy industry is able to produce 223 billion pounds of milk each year!