There are also farms “that are not profitable and/or which no one in the second generation is interested in taking over or has adequate access to the capital needed to bring the farm up to a profitable level of operations”, adds Peter Vital- iano, chief economist at the National Milk Producers Federa- tion (NMPF). “Because of that, over time, younger operators with profitable operations are expanding operations, result- ing in fewer but larger operations producing the nation’s milk supply.”
Sustainability In terms of animal welfare, no matter the size of farm, 99% of all US dairy farms participate in the National Dairy FARM (Farmers Assuring Responsible Management) program, ac- cording to Jamie Jonker, NMPF staff scientist and vice presi- dent of sustainability and scientific affairs. The program re- quires that dairy farms are assessed at least once every three years to identify strengths and outline improvements if nec- essary. MacDonald, Law and Mosheim also note in their report that dairy consolidation has led to substantial reductions in pas- ture grazing, a practice shown to provide positive welfare benefits (see
dairyglobal.net for more). However, a trend towards larger farms is only one reason pasture usage has
declined in the US and many other parts of the world. On the environmental front, MacDonald, Law and Mosheim note that “by consolidating cows into fewer but larger farms in a narrowing range of geographic areas, manure production has become concentrated, creating water and air risks from excess nutrients”. However, regulations have kept pace to mitigate these risks. Most large US dairy operations are now regulated by the fed- eral Clean Water Act and are also subject to state regulations. Jonker explains that a permit under the Act requires a ‘Com- prehensive Nutrient Management Plan’ detailing how ma- nure is stored, maximum storage capacities and more. The Plan also documents all crop nutrient needs, soil test results and application of all nutrients (including manure) to the fields. “Dairy farms without enough land to spread manure according to soil test results and crop needs,” explains Jonker, “may need a strategy to export manure” from the farm. In addition, many larger dairy farms are incorporating newer technology such as manure separation and methane digest- ers to manage manure and cut carbon emissions. But Mac- Donald and his colleagues point out that although US dairy farms do receive cost-sharing support for improvements in manure management, “added support provided in recent years – while substantial in the aggregate – remains a
▶ DAIRY GLOBAL | Volume 8, No. 2, 2021
Dr Frank Mit- loehner, a pro- fessor at Univer- sity of California, Davis, believes one of the main reasons that smaller dairy farms are disap- pearing in the US is ever-tight- ening profit margins.
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