U.S. dairy farmers add cows after years of low prices – By Jessie Higgins (UPI) / Feb 10 2020
EVANSVILLE, Ind., Feb. 10 (UPI) — U.S. dairy farmers again are adding cows to their herds, despite years of overproduction that kept milk prices low and pushed thousands of farms out of business.
As of January, 9,334,600 milk cows were recorded in the United States, up by more than 17,000 from the average herd size in August, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture figures.
“Last August, the monthly average herd size reached its low point, and then it started climbing again,” said Peter Vitaliano, vice president of economic policy and market research at the National Milk Producers Federation. “Hopefully, the herd expansion won’t go faster than the increase in demand.”
The herd expansion comes at a time when milk prices finally are increasing, Vitaliano said.
Prices plummeted at the end of 2014 and remained low until late 2019. During that time, many small to midsize farms lost money every year and, across the country, farms went under. Wisconsin alone lost more than 2,600 — nearly 30 percent of its dairies.
Continue to article: https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2020/02/10/US-dairy-farmers-add-cows-after-years-of-low-prices/1571581095835/?ls=2
