Graph by Investigate Midwest
The number of U.S. dairy farms has continued to shrink as dairying becomes one of "the most consolidated agricultural industries, according to a
Department of Agriculture report," Ava Mandoli of
Investigate Midwest reports. Dairy farm costs have increased, and milk prices have not kept pace, which means smaller dairy farms cannot squeeze out a profit, and have closed. "Since 2013, the number of licensed dairy herds has decreased by more than 40%," Mandoli reports. "Between 2000 and 2021, the average U.S. dairy managed to turn a profit just twice, according to a
Food and Water Watch analysis of USDA data."
"The largest farms have gotten larger. By 2017, half of all herds numbered more than 1,300 cows, a figure expected to increase with the growth of large factory farms. . . . Large industrial operations have been better equipped to survive long periods of tight margins than family-operated farms, according to the USDA report,"Mandoli reports. "Companies that purchase and process milk have also been consolidating. More than 80% of all milk is now marketed by three dairy cooperatives:
Dairy Farmers of America,
Land O’Lakes and
California Dairies.
No comments:
Post a Comment