New York Is U.S. Cultural Leader, at Least in Making Yogurt

Nathaniel Brooks for The New York Times Boxes of FAGE yogurt at a cold storage facility in Johnstown, N.Y. New York State says it is now the leading producer of yogurt in the country.

New York State is now the yogurt capital of the nation.

The state’s chief yogurt promoter, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, claimed victory on Thursday in the battle for national yogurt supremacy, citing state data that showed New York topping California in production for 2012.

Hoping to milk the announcement for all it’s worth, Mr. Cuomo’s office issued a nearly 2,100-word statement celebrating New York’s triumph. The announcement is the latest in a string of dairy distinctions for the governor, including brokering peace in a dispute between two upstate mayors over the expansion of a Greek yogurt plant and convening the state’s first “yogurt summit,” which was marred only by a brief shortage of spoons.

“With New York State officially being crowned Yogurt Capital of America, it is clear that our approach to growing the economy and creating an entrepreneurial government is paying off,” Mr. Cuomo said.

In 2012, New York produced 692 million pounds of yogurt, compared with 587 million pounds in California, according to data from each state. In 2011, California produced 627 million pounds of yogurt, comfortably exceeding the 554 million pounds produced in New York.

A spokesman for the federal government’s National Agricultural Statistics Service said he could not independently confirm New York’s yogurt pre-eminence because his agency stopped tracking state-by-state yogurt production after 2009. But in case anyone was to accuse Mr. Cuomo of embellishing his milestone, an administration official said New York State calculated its yogurt production using the same methodology as California did.

A spokesman for Gov. Jerry Brown of California did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether he was conceding defeat in the yogurt wars. But Steve Lyle, a spokesman for the California Department of Food and Agriculture, chose a course of diplomacy.

“We appreciate Governor Cuomo’s interest in agriculture and food production,” Mr. Lyle said, “and wish New York’s yogurt producers the best in bringing a wholesome quality product to consumers.”

Jennifer Giambroni, a spokeswoman for the California Milk Advisory Board, said the board did not dispute Mr. Cuomo’s numbers.

“More importantly, though,” she said, “I think we can all agree that when dairy farmers in any state win, we all win.”