95% of U.S. dairy farms have disappeared since 1970. Today, about 24,000 dairies remain.
While the number has dropped, the average herd size is on the rise. More than 60% of all milk production occurs on farms with more than 2,500 cows.
So, what is driving the changes in the dairy industry?
That depends on who you ask.
A University of Tennessee Dairy Specialist believes that it is tied to the Federal Milk Marketing Order and how today’s dairy producers are paid for their products.
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