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Many suggestions are made about importing dairy producto take up the slack of a declining U.S. milk production.
As can be seen in the graph above, courtesy of the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), that is not a reasonable idea. There is no country which can actually take up significant slack a drop in U.S. production would entail.
Which is not to say we produce all our needs. We are, through 2009, net importers of dairy.
China cannot replace American dairy needs the way they replaced good American jobs.
I would suggest that we "never say never" with regard to China. Who would have thought 20 - 30 years ago they'd be the second largest economy in the world and our largest creditor!
ReplyDeleteAt the rate things are going in our country they'll be "eating our lunch" in the dairy farming sector before we know it.
We've lost the will to work together, innovate, solve problems, etc.!
I truly love your blog site John, but we just keep bitchin and nothin gets fixed.
John,
ReplyDeleteYou might want to put some of your reader's fears to rest about China supplying U.S. dairy food needs. China does not have the farmland to feed its own population. Dairy cows over there are fed primarily crop residue,cannery waste and other cast-off stuff. Any dairy products that wind up over here from China are unfit for human consumption destined for pet food and such. Anything produced in China fit for human consumption stays in China. Its not for nothing China is Fonterra's biggest customer...
Nate Wilson.