Americans sure love dairy, and consumers across the world are demanding more high-quality American dairy products than ever before. As milk production increases in the U.S., so too do herd sizes, while the total number of dairy farms continues to decline. What does sustainable growth look like from the farmer’s point of view? This week on “The Dairy Download,” we dive into the opportunities and challenges presented by growth, innovation, and consumer preferences in today’s dairy industry. 

Our first guest is Mike McCloskey, Co-Founder and CEO of Select Milk Producers. Mike gives us his thoughts on competition between farms, the success of fairlife, and the need for professional people in the dairy business. He also lays out his thoughts on why dairy farms need to needs to be cow-centric, ecosystem-centric, and community-centric to survive and thrive in the future. 

Next up is Catherine de Ronde, Vice President of Economics and Legislative Affairs at Agri-Mark, Inc. She discusses the farmer-owned cooperative’s opportunities for growth, capitalizing on B-corp certification, and the need to focus on sustainable operations irrespective of their size.

Questions or comments about the show? We want to hear from you. Send a note to [email protected] and your feedback could be included on a future episode.

If your company is interested in sponsoring a block of episodes of The Dairy Download, contact IDFA’s Melissa Lembke at [email protected].