{"id":36718,"date":"2020-04-09T09:33:52","date_gmt":"2020-04-09T14:33:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wfbf.com\/?p=36718"},"modified":"2020-04-09T09:33:52","modified_gmt":"2020-04-09T14:33:52","slug":"an-open-letter-to-consumers-about-milk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wfbf.com\/food-and-farming\/an-open-letter-to-consumers-about-milk\/","title":{"rendered":"An Open Letter to Consumers About Milk"},"content":{"rendered":"
Have you been to the grocery store lately only to find many of the shelves and coolers picked over? Maybe you went in for a loaf of bread or a couple gallons of milk, but had a hard time finding either.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Every week, my grocery list has a few staples, one of which is milk. And every week when I go to the grocery store, I am blessed with coolers filled with of milk in different flavors, sizes, brands, etc. That was up until COVID-19 started making the headlines.<\/p>\n Lately, I go to the store and I see a more limited selection of many items, including milk. My milk choice is pretty standard, a gallon or two of 2% white milk, so I\u2019m usually able to find what I\u2019m looking for. I am sure I\u2019m not alone in the alarm I felt when I started noticing signs asking patrons to limit the quantities of milk they were purchasing. Some went so far as to specify the number of gallons allowed.<\/p>\n I then started seeing stories of dairy farmers being asked, by their creamery, to dispose of their milk. This is good quality milk that is literally being dumped down the drain.<\/p>\n This all started to get very confusing, very fast.<\/p>\n Turns out that with more and more states encouraging residents to stay at home and limiting dining options, dairy products aren\u2019t moving through the supply chain like normal.<\/p>\n Almost overnight, the large food service sector demand for cheese dropped dramatically, while the demand for milk skyrocketed. This led to some complications in getting the right products made in the right quantities in a relatively short amount of time.<\/p>\n To put this into perspective, the Wisconsin Cheesemakers say that 50 percent of cheese produced in the U.S. goes directly to food service or to companies that prepare cheese products for food service. With restaurants, schools and sports arenas closing or offering limited options, this has put a strain on dairy processing.<\/p>\n Wisconsin is known for cheese and we have a lot of creameries that buy milk to make cheese. It is nearly impossible to quickly turn a cheese making plant into one that bottles milk. You can see where this leads to some strain on the supply chain.<\/p>\n Dairy industry representatives, including Farm Bureau, have been very vocal about asking stores to remove dairy product limits because the supply chain backlog is a temporary challenge. Dairy supporters on the local, state and national level are stepping up and talking about solutions, asking for action and encouraging everyone to chip in.<\/p>\n The cows are still making milk and dairy farmers are working every day to bring that milk to our grocery stores and ultimately the dinner table. <\/p>\n Any shortages you see will only be temporary. The quick swing in consumers\u2019 dairy product preference will continue to be a challenge, but there will always be more milk, cheese, yogurt and other dairy products made daily.<\/p>\n While it can be frustrating to go to the store and not have the same selection we\u2019re used to seeing, farmers are equally frustrated that there is no market for some of the best quality milk in the world and that overall market prices are fluctuating dramatically.<\/p>\n So what can you do to help? Easy, buy more dairy products. Maybe you buy an extra gallon of milk or make a homemade pizza loaded with cheese.<\/p>\n Maybe you can make a monetary donation to your local food pantry specifically ear marked to purchase dairy products.<\/p>\n