North Dakota milk production up 4 percent in third quarter

FARGO, N.D. (AP) - Milk production in North Dakota was up during July, August and September.

The Agriculture Department says production in the third quarter totaled 87 million pounds, up 4 percent from the same time period in 2015. The number of milk cows in the state averaged 16,000 head.

Nationally, milk production in the 23 major states totaled 52.6 billion pounds, up nearly 2 percent from the third quarter of last year.