Small to mid-size dairies across Ohio and the country are shutting their doors in record numbers after nearly four years of low milk prices and rising operating expenses, reports the Piqua Daily Call.
According to Dianne Shoemaker, a field specialist and dairy production economics professor with The Ohio State University, the exit at the end of 2018 was “enormous.”
In October 2018, there were 2,130 dairy farms in Ohio. To date, 2,045 dairy farms remain— a total of 85 dairy farms called it quits in Ohio in three months.
"Overall, it’s a national issue. The dairy industry is starting year four of very depressed milk prices and farms can only hang on so long if they aren’t making money,” Shoemaker told the Daily Call.
