September 9,2015-
Fewer Dairies But More Milk
A mention of drought and Tulare County dairies deserves a response. The article in Sept 9th EGG-Cite includes an excerpt from JAVMA, the veterinary publication. It says dairy farmers in Tulare County are exiting the business due to the drought and points to the fact there are just 281 dairies in the county compared to 343 some 10 years earlier.
A closer look however paints a different picture.
From 2004 to 2014 the value of the milk crop in Tulare County almost doubled from $1.3 billion to $2.5 billion in 2014. The number of cows is up from 442,000 to 484,000 according to CDFA and milk production climbed about 25% in that time. The county with fewer but larger dairies remains the number one milk production county in the US. Some smaller dairies here have quit in part because they need extra land to spread manure to comply with regulations.
Sure, things are tough but these dairy folk are a hardy lot.