The rise of CAFOs and decline of the family farm in 2 graphs

 

Dairy Herd Management, 2/28/2024

According to Lucas Fuess, Senior Dairy Analyst at Rabobank, there were 24,082 dairy operations with off-farm milk sales in 2022, down from the 39,303 dairy farms in 2017. In contrast, however, milk production increased by 5%, despite cow numbers remaining nearly identical at 9.4 million cows. 

“Rabobank estimates that less than 25% of the U.S. milk supply (in 2022) was produced on farms with less than 500 head, but these operations accounted for more than 80% of dairy operations, at 20,631, offsetting their lower output with larger political clout,” Fuess says.

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