Milk comes from family farms in local communities across the country. There are about 55,000 dairy farms located throughout the US and more than 500 fluid milk processing establishments. There are dairy farms in all 50 states, 98 percent of which are family owned. The other two percent include farms which are university-owned, company-owned (such as Purina and Hoard's Dairyman) and corporately-owned (such as Horizon Organics).

An extensive research study found that it takes about 48 hours (2 days) for milk to travel from the farm to the grocery store. The Midwest is home to more than 9,500 dairy farms and 200 dairy food processing plants. Dairy farm families are committed to producing wholesome, nutritious milk and dairy foods. They depend on US and international markets for the milk they produce. Besides grocery stores, milk from Midwest dairy farms can be found at convenience stores and restaurant such as 7-Eleven, McDonald's, Domino's, and Pizza Ranch.