North Carolina state beverage: Milk
Although many may expect North Carolina’s official state drink to be sweet tea, the North Carolina General Assembly passed legislation in 1987 that made milk the official state beverage.As of 2009, North Carolina ranked 31st in milk production among other states. North Carolina dairy farmers provided 892 million pounds of milk in 2008 and produced approximately $191.8 million in value. The top-producing counties in North Carolina are concentrated in the Piedmont and the western half of the state, with Iredell, Randolph, and Yadkin counties leading the way. As of 2009, approximately 45,000 milk-producing cows were in North Carolina.
Along with being an excellent source of calcium, milk is also a great source of vitamins A & B, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, and protein.
Sources:
North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services, N.C. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Statistics - North Carolina's Rank in US Agriculture, http://www.ncagr.gov/stats/ncrank.htm, (last accessed November 16, 2010); North Carolina Department of Agriculture, Factsheet 2009, Dairy, http://www.ncagr.gov/stats/facts/Dairy.pdf, (last accessed November 24, 2010).
By Sara Riggins,
See Also:
Related Encyclopedia Entries: Grandfather Mountain, Mount Mitchell, Plott Hound: The State Dog, The Great Seal of the State of North Carolina, State Fruit: Scuppernong Grape, State Flag, Esse Quam Videri, State Dance: Clogging and Shagging, North Carolina state red berry: strawberry , North Carolina state blue berry: blueberries , North Carolina state Christmas tree: Fraser Fir, North Carolina state vegetable: sweet potato, North Carolina state flower: Dogwood, Surry County (1771), Orange County (1752), O. Henry (1862 - 1910), Billy Graham (1918 - ), Richard Petty (1937 - ), Duplin County (1750), Wake County (1771), Andy Griffith (1926 - 2012), James “Catfish” Hunter (1946 - 1999)