The Nation’s 226 dairy cooperatives marketed 127.4 billion pounds of milk, or 83 percent of all milk sold to plants and dealers, in 1997. These cooperatives were owned by 87,938 member-producers. Sixty-three cooperatives operated 203 dairy processing and manufacturing plants, 25 with milk-receiving stations only and 138 with no milkhandling facilities. Cooperatives sold 14 percent of the Nation’s packaged fluid products, 6 percent of the ice cream, 61 percent of the butter, 76 percent of the dry milk products, 40 percent of the natural cheese, 48 percent of the dry whey products, and 10 percent of the cottage cheese.