Dairy Farmers Continue to Struggle
Tuesday, December 6th, 2016 -- 9:05 AM
(AP) -Dairy farmers continue to struggle with declining business as the popularity of milk alternatives is continuing to rise.Wisconsin Public Radio reports that alternatives to dairy milk, which include almond milk, soy milk and rice milk, are becoming more popular for various reasons. Madison's Willy Street Co-op grocery category manager Dean Kallas attributes the growing popularity to dairy allergies, vegetarians, vegans and people who generally don't want to drink dairy.
Jordan Rost with the global marketing research firm Nielsen says dairy milk sales still dominate the milk market but that almond milk has an 8 percent growth rate. Another market research firm, BCC Research, says global market milk alternatives in 2014 reached $5.8 billion. Deerfield dairy farmer Tina Hinchley says the competition isn't helping an already-suffering industry.
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