AgBioResearch

Food prices are high. What insight should consumers be most aware of when it comes to dairy production costs?

Dairy farmers, just like all Americans, are dealing with record high inflation at their farms, with higher costs for fuel, feed, equipment, energy and many other items. Just like other businesses, producers are also dealing with labor shortages at the farm along with the shortage of milk delivery drivers to get their product to processing plants. Despite all these problems, dairy farmers continue to take great care of their cows and deliver nutritious and high-quality products to our customers. 

Where do you see the dairy industry heading in the next few years?

It is a positive future with so many opportunities! We need to look at ways to continue the industry’s progress in sustainability and innovation. Those opportunities could include production practices that are even better for the environment, utilizing more renewable energy methods or using dairy byproducts in new ways, as well as creative dairy product packaging and developing new, innovative products that consumers want. 

How can research better assist producers moving forward?

When it comes to research in the dairy industry, it is important to continue to engage dairy producers to focus on issues that will have the biggest impact. The heart of dairy farming is taking care of their cows and the land that they manage. Research is important to help address some of the dairy industry’s concerns in the long term, but in today’s world, it sometimes needs to be nimble enough to provide incremental improvements in the short run, too.