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Time to think outside the milk carton: Our view

admin//May 25, 2018//

Time to think outside the milk carton: Our view

admin//May 25, 2018//

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The problem, however, is not a lack of government involvement. State government is plenty involved already through the Milk Marketing Board, which sets minimum prices to ensure producers are rewarded fairly and that consumers aren’t overpaying.

Today’s rules grew out of a chaotic market in the 1930s, when prices plunged, according to the board’s official history. Although we are not keen on government price controls, the rules have worked fairly well over the decades. However, they probably didn’t envision a day when milk would fall off the grocery list.

Beverage options have exploded over the last 40 years, and milk is losing its luster. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, fluid milk consumption was 154 pounds per person in 2016, down from 197 pounds in 2000.

Other dairy-based products have been growing, such as butter, cheese and yogurt, so the industry is far from dying. Noting the potential, the state has been trying to recruit dairy processors, especially in the cheese industry, that would absorb supply from Pennsylvania dairy farms.

Farmers face few easy choices, especially when it comes to diversification. They depend on growing seasons and animal lifespans that are indifferent to rapidly changing markets. Failing fast – a tech industry adage – is not a realistic choice.

But farmers have options, as we learned last week in our cover story on the expansion of Lebanon County organic poultry processor Bell & Evans. Some local dairy farmers are looking to switch to chickens, for which demand is growing.

Chickens, of course, could end up being the next milk. No rules will prevent consumers from changing their appetites.

As the state looks to help the dairy industry, it should recognize that the market can be fickle but that it cannot be stopped. Elected officials are rightly focused on preserving farms, which are a vital part of our state’s economy and landscape. They should also focus on giving farmers tools to cope with today’s markets, not yesterday’s.