As will become immediately clear, I'm afraid, I am almost completely ignorant about dairying, except from the vantage point of a consumer. So at the risk of well-deserved ridicule I'm going to go ahead and suggest what I think may be a novel approach to improving the situation for small dairy farms.
Unless I am very much mistaken, uniformity of product is the number one objective in the processing of milk, coast to coast That's why you see almost nothing but Holsteins wherever you go in dairy country, whether it's California, Wisconsin or Vermont. I would venture a guess that even those many thousands (millions?) of head of Holsteins are all descended from just a few great producers. The object of selective breeding was to maximize yield of milk that was uniform and had the best butterfat profile for conventional dairy purposes. Probably a smart approach at the outset; but the very success of that model is now threatening dairy farmers ability to make ends meet. Even the co-ops that originally promised security for dairy farmers had to observe the rule of uniformity in order to satisfy market conditions. Finally, the small dairy farmer is nothing but a bit player in a super-giant dairy conglomerate presided over by rich guys who don't get out much. That is problem #1
I think problem number two may be a sustainability issue that is being over-looked because of problem #1. Anyone who is familiar with biodiversity issues in food crops can easily extrapolate what that threat might look like with regard to dairy herds. Hint: it's black and white and bred all over.
While we are considering the plight of the small dairy farmer today, perhaps we should also be looking at the plight of the future American dairy consumer. What happens if we continue to undervalue the nutritional role dairy plays in our diet, further diminishing the ability of small farmers to sustain their herds. Milk production becomes more and more concentrated in the hands of a very few super-herds; and when further mechanization can't satisfy the demand for cheaper and cheaper product, perhaps outsourcing can. Finally, we become dependent for what is a significant part of the American diet on sources hundreds and thousands of miles away. Then let's say a superbug, a "Holstein Hepatitis," comes along. The cows are confined in such large groups that the virus quickly spreads and wipes out the entire herd in the Western Hemisphere. There aren't any more Jerseys, Guernseys, or Brown Swiss cows anywhere to be found because no one bothered to preserve those herds, or at least not a sufficient number to fill the dietary void left by the dying Holsteins. It may sound far-fetched, but why not? I'd wager that the vast majority of dairy cows are already eating exactly the same food. Probably made by Cargill...which is a division of Monsanto...which is a division of McDonald's. I'm kidding, of course.
Anyway, perhaps instead of concentrating on subsidies and surplus strategies, Congress should be looking at ways to encourage smaller, more biodiverse herds. We should be focussing on local sustainable food supply as the goal, rather than corporate overkill in the marketplace. MORE is not necessarily BETTER. Take a page from fruit and vegetable growers who have discovered a new market for heirloom varieties and exotics. Rather than selling the bland uniformity of milk, why couldn't we be marketing the sensual differences in color, flavor and texture available with herd diversity?
Imagine the "value added" potential!
Why can't we pay farmers to provide food security for their immediate communities by gradually reducing their holdings of Holsteins, and replacing them with less individuals of other varieties?
It's just a thought. Now I will quietly find the exit before I am escorted from the building.
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