Tue Jan 31, 2023, 02:10 PM

US dairy policies drive small farms to 'get big or get out' as monopolies get rich

Source: Guardian/US

Exclusive: Misguided policies have hurt small-scale farms while enriching agribusinesses and corporate lobbyists, analysis shows.

Two decades of misguided US dairy policies centered around boosting milk production and export markets have hurt family-scale farms and the environment while enriching agribusinesses and corporate lobbyists, new research has found.

The average American dairy turned a profit only twice in the past two decades despite milk production rising by almost 40%, according to analysis by Food and Water Watch (FWW) shared exclusively with the Guardian.
[snip]
Nationally, the total number of US dairy farms fell by more than half between 1997 and 2017, while the average number of cows per farm increased by 139%, according to analysis of USDA data. More than 70% of US milk is produced on farms with at least 500 cows, with the largest dairies boasting herds of more than 25,000.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/31/us-dairy-policies-hurt-small-farms-monopolies-get-rich

I'm sure glad I don't use dairy products.
Plus, I learned they take their newly born calves away from the mother cows.

It is a cruel and polluting business. Have you ever driven by a dairy of 25,000 cows!?
You can't breath.

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9 replies	Author	Time	Post
US dairy policies drive small farms to 'get big or get out' as monopolies get rich (Original post)	mysteryowl	Jan 31	OP
Monopolies? Why bother reading the Guardian. It's garbage.	mathematic	Jan 31	#1
wow, what news sources do you read and trust?	mysteryowl	Jan 31	#2
Small farmers are regulated and have to follow governmental orders	FredGarvin	Jan 31	#3
Question: who has more Washington DC style "Free Speech': Family farms or megacorporations?	NullTuples	Jan 31	#6
The posters on this thread are displaying a lot of proof the Guardian article is true.	mysteryowl	Feb 2	#9
It's like that across the board and has been like that for a long time	Warpy	Jan 31	#4
This is (American) Capitalism, working exactly as designed.	NullTuples	Jan 31	#5
Hence, the game called, "Monopoly"	mysteryowl	Jan 31	#7
I see it in Wisconsin for decades now. Sad.	riversedge	Feb 2	#8

Response to mysteryowl (Original post)

Tue Jan 31, 2023, 02:46 PM

mathematic (1,330 posts)

1. Monopolies? Why bother reading the Guardian. It's garbage.

Nothing in this article describes monopolistic behavior. Economy specialization is not monopolization. Economies of scale are not monopolization. Small businesses, including small farms, are not imbued by the Universe with an unsurpassed virtue.

You've linked a piece of propaganda that is trying to associate legal and normal economic activity that the author and editors dislike for non-economic reasons with illegal economic activity.

Just look at this pure nonsense:

More milk has not meant more profits for most farmers – or cheaper prices for American shoppers – because production costs have risen while milk prices have remained low so US exporters can compete on the global market.

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Response to mathematic (Reply #1)

Tue Jan 31, 2023, 03:10 PM

mysteryowl (6,400 posts)

2. wow, what news sources do you read and trust?

I disagree with your comments and think you got it wrong.

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Response to mathematic (Reply #1)

Tue Jan 31, 2023, 03:14 PM

FredGarvin (324 posts)

3. Small farmers are regulated and have to follow governmental orders

Three corporations control 90% of the US farming market.

They are all making startling profits.

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Response to mathematic (Reply #1)

Tue Jan 31, 2023, 05:34 PM

NullTuples (5,199 posts)

6. Question: who has more Washington DC style "Free Speech': Family farms or megacorporations?

Do you really believe multinational food conglomerates don't slew our laws and regulations to favor them and disfavor family farms, even to the point of said smaller farms being pushed into selling to the investor driven ones?

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Response to mathematic (Reply #1)

Thu Feb 2, 2023, 09:24 AM

mysteryowl (6,400 posts)

9. The posters on this thread are displaying a lot of proof the Guardian article is true.

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Response to mysteryowl (Original post)

Tue Jan 31, 2023, 03:16 PM

Warpy (106,553 posts)

4. It's like that across the board and has been like that for a long time

The only way to compete with big ag is to mechanize and the only way to make mechanization cost effective is to get big enough to support it. Those family farms are big biz, they have to be, autonomous combines and all.

The only successful farmers I've met either went big or went very small, meaning mini farms that sold eggs, goat milk,and a few fruits and veg in season. They were able to survive because fertilized eggs and goat's milk are specialty items and high end restaurants bought up their produce at a price that kept them in business, meaning they also had to be close to cities.

Oh, and try driving past a feed lot in August, cattle crowded into small pens, standing knee deep in their own waste, nothing to do but eat grain that puts on fat instead of muscle, giving those "marbled" steaks and most likely causing pain to the cattle. The beef industry is nasty, too.

And don't get me started on pork factory farms.

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Response to mysteryowl (Original post)

Tue Jan 31, 2023, 05:31 PM

NullTuples (5,199 posts)