The dairy industry is struggling to cope with the surge in veganism as 2,731 dairy farms went out of business in the US last year.
The cow milk industry is failing to fight off competition from plant-based alternatives as consumers become more conscious of the environmental impact and ethical reality of dairy.
Last year dairy milk sales plummeted by $1.1 billion, while plant-based milk sales have increased by 61 percent since 2012.
This threat has lead many businesses to fold altogether. The USDA has reported that licensed dairy farm numbers decreased by 2,731 – equivalent to 6.8% of the country’s dairy farms – in 2018 alone.
That means there are now 37,468 dairy farms in the US, down from 40,199 they year before.
Declines in the industry were widespread across the US, including in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Michigan and California.
Not a single state reported an increase in dairy farms, while only 12 states remained on the same number of farms.
By percentage, Michigan had the biggest chunk taken out of its dairy industry, losing 230 farms to leave 1,520 – a decline of 13 percent.
Wisconsin had the most closures with 590 dairy farms shutting their doors for the final time.
Statistics released by the Dairy Farmers of America found the industry to be worth $13.6 billion in 2018 compared to $14.7 billion the year before.
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Lifestyle
Vegan culture, food, beauty & more
Gordon Ramsay Ditches Vegan Hate and Backs Flora’s Plant-Based Butter in New ‘Skip the Cow’ Campaign
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VEGAN MEMES
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All the quizzes you love to binge!
QUIZ: If you score 11/12 on this quiz, you’re a verified vegan food expert
- Marlon Farrugia
- 10th January 2020
How much vegan knowledge do you have stored away? Do you have to Google your way through a shopping trip, or do you have all the bad E-numbers memorised? Find out now with this quiz. [wpViralQuiz id=27203]
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- Marlon Farrugia
- 13th October 2019
Spook Season approaches. There will be ghosts, goblins, ghouls, and glucose. You need a costume, and you want to it to show off your personality, which means VEGAN. But what to choose? Take our quiz to find out your perfect outfit. [wpViralQuiz id=33494]
QUIZ: What kind of vegetable are you?
- Marlon Farrugia
- 26th September 2019
“If you were a vegetable, what kind would you be?” A question that has tormented humanity throughout the ages – until now. [wpViralQuiz id=31281] Read: QUIZ: If you score 19/20 on THIS quiz, you’re a Vegan God