COUNTRY REPORT ▶▶▶
Table – Cows and production are shifting to large dairy farms. Herd size (milk cows)
1997
10-199 200-499 500-999 >999
1,000-2,499 >2,499
10-199 200-499 500-999 >999
1,000-2,499 >2,499
86,912 4,881 1,379 878 NA NA
56.3 15.3 10.2 17.5 NA NA
Number of farms 2007
47,873 4,307 1,702 1,582 1,104 478
2017
30,373 3,83
1,511 1,953 1,239 714
Share (percent) of US milk cow inventory 33.4 13.8 12.5 39.9 18.1 21.8
21.6 12.0 10.7 55.2 20.3 34.9
Note: NA = not available (the census did not report those separate size classes in that year). Source: USDA, Economic Research Service using data from USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service, Census of Agriculture.
fraction of the average cost differences between small and large operations”.
Larger farm, more financial resources In California, where environmental regulations are particular- ly robust, there has been a huge amount of activity to install manure digesters on dairy farms and to collect and clean the biogas so that it can be used to generate electricity or power vehicles. In the last three years alone in California, about 150 new digesters were built, says Mitloehner, and new funding for more was announced in 2020. He explains that while most
digester-funded dairies are large, many small dairies have re- ceived funding for projects related to alternative manure management technologies like manure separators. Jonker believes the fact that so much technology has al- ready been embraced by the US dairy sector is precisely why “it is the world leader in controlling greenhouse gas emissions”. He points to a finding from the Food and Agri- culture Organization of the United Nations that carbon emissions from the North America dairy sector (with US pro- duction being most of that) decreased from 2005 to 2015 by 5%, even as US milk production and dairy farm size has increased over that period. And while getting the whole industry to achieve carbon neu- trality will require overcoming technical and economic hur- dles, Jonker says, “The US dairy industry has embarked on the ‘Net Zero Initiative’ to accelerate technology development and implementation through research, demonstration projects and economic pathways.”
Parting thoughts In terms of overall sustainability and dairy farm size, Mitloeh- ner believes there is no correlation. “Farms are measured reg- ularly on various aspects of environmental sustainability, and those at every achievement level include both small and large operations,” he explains. “However, larger farms are more under the microscope to ensure all the regulations are being met. They get more visitors from the inspectors and au- ditors, but all farms should be being equally held to the same standards.” “The question is,” he says, “do we need to financially support the smaller operations so that they can implement the tech- nologies related to sustainability and stay viable, so that small family farms are maintained? That is something each country is deciding as time goes on.”
Most US dairy farms are as- sessed at least once every three years, and most large US dairy operations are now regulated by the federal Clean Water Act and are also sub- ject to state regulations.
12 ▶ DAIRY GLOBAL | Volume 8, No. 2, 2021
PHOTO: HANS PRINSEN
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