Question 1: Is there room for the small, traditional family farm? It seems that a lot of the blame for the current situation is blamed on larger operations, but is their room both short and long term?
Answer: David F - definitely, number of cows doesn't matter as long as they can make a profit and survive. There are many small dairies that have been successful.
David W - Room for success, and WI is growing at both ends - there is a lot of diversity and growth and change in industry. Without number and mass of farms all sizes to implement equipment dealers, vets etc. we lose our infrastructure
David C - Unique thing with small operations is that they can diversify themselves with genetics, products & processing - something a large scale operation has troubles doing. A small cheese operation has the opportunity to make many different types of products and make something that's unique - consumers want local product.
Lucas - Every farm is like a poker hand - you never know until someone goes out of business whether or not their making a profit - our goal at Holstein USA is to keep our farmers profitable, and keep dairies of all size in business.
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