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SC Mo Ar line | I have been thinking about this also. We have seen 30 plus years of dairy being told to get big or get out. Is the pendulum going to swing the other way? There is a big public backlash against mega dairys or any other large scale livestock operations. They are the reason for all the nutrient management and other regulation we have to deal with. This is what opened the door for the niche producers and buy local as at least some of the public cares where their food comes from.
California has been driving the big dairys out for years. The east coast is too heavily populated to allow megas. The farms are too small in acres and the environmentalists aren't going to allow it around the Chesapeake Bay and other watersheds. The sourthern states are not ideal for dairy due to the land and climate. So what areas of the country are left open to Megas? Even the northern states are seeing environmental problems. I don't remember which one but 18 counties are having severe problems with polluted wells and drinking water.
These mega dairys require large unpopulated land areas capable of growing silage. They also require a large pool of cheap labor willing to live in dormatories in the middle of nowhere which Americans won't do. Without these the Megas don't exist. Just a few thoughts I've had. | |
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What's the future of dairy looking like?
