The sad story of dairy's decline: Problem is obvious, solutions are not

All farmers and livestock producers are important. All the crops and animals they raise are important. That said, there's something special about the dairy industry, especially the people who operate dairy farms. Their skill and dedication reflect what's best and noblest in production agriculture.So the ongoing slump in the U.S. dairy industry is distressing. Beset with a multi-year stretch of poor milk prices and limited profitability, far too many dairy producers have shut down or are in imminent danger of doing so. From 2017 to 2018 alone, 6.5 percent of U.S. dairy farms went out of business, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture statistics.That's a big economic hit to the communities, often small, rural ones, where they operate. It's a huge emotional loss for families who put so much of themselves, sometimes over several generations, into their dairy business.