If your run to the fancy bodega for a pint of organic milk comes with a bit of sticker shock, don't be surprised: there's a huge shortage of organic milk acros the country (and particularly on the East Coast), with farmers getting screwed as customers demand more.
While we do our fair share of teasing the Times, they handle this complex issue right, breaking it down in a way the average, non-farming shopper can (hopefully) understand: "The main reason for the shortage is that the cost of organic grain and hay to feed cows has gone up sharply while the price that farmers receive for their milk has not. That means that farmers feed their cows less, resulting in lower milk production. At the same time, fewer farmers have been converting from conventional dairying to organic." The icing on the cake is while all this is happening on the farm, customers have been demanding more organic milk across the country. “It’s a double whammy to have higher sales than you expect and less milk,” said the CEO of the farmers co-op that produces Organic Valley milk.
Retailers like Wegmans and Target (buy your groceries and your underwear, all in one place!) are raising prices and running out of milk, much to the chagrin of shoppers. But at the core of the issue is the simple fact that organic dairy farmers need to be paid more for their milk. As East Village restaurant Northern Spy Food Co. tweeted this morning in response to the article, "So much of what's fukt abt US ag policy and farm-to-consumer chain, right here."
