I read elsewhere that there is a massive overcapacity of milk right now. It's part of the trade arguments between the US and Canada.
So I suspect very low milk prices probably didn't help.
Anecdotally it seems to me the market these days is for milk products like Greek yogurt and aged cheeses.
Also, I was bored one day and watched a lot of dairy farm videos - it's become very automated, where just a couple of people can manage an enormous herd of cows, and the cows even have better living conditions than at typical farms.
So that probably drives the massive overproduction as well since it's so easy to have a running farm.
Where it's not uncommon to see milk as a loss-leader in big US markets (i.e. $0.99/gallon) the price in Canada is much higher and stable. I suspect our farmers are going to be hurt by the new NAFTA deal (when/if Congress ratifies it) in the long term.
And the Greek yogurt and cheese don’t see to be getting cheaper. I understand like with 20 months aged parmesan that the warehouse time and labor probably far outweigh the milk as input costs, but yogurt cmon, I’ve made it myself for way cheaper (without economies of scale) but its still expensive for brand names at the grocery store (like $8 for big jar).
The weirdest thing about Greek yoghurt is that it is so hard to find any that isn't ultra-low or nonfat. The only brand that seems to sell full-fat yoghurt is Cabot, at least that I've seen. It's wildly better, and usually far lower sugar.
That has not been my experience at all. Trader Joe's, for one, has sold full-fat Greek yogurt for at least ten years. It's in a blue and white container. Thicker than sour cream and will probably kill me at 50, but damn good!
Fat will not kill you as quickly as too much sugar. Most yoghurts have added sugar (insane amounts sometimes). I prefer plain with no added sugar; if I want some other flavoring I can add it myself. Once you get used to the plain varieties the tang is actually very pleasing. Not a big fan of the greek kinds as they are extremely wasteful to make.
Why would it kill you? Cultures that consume yogurt generally have a higher than average life span. The protein and fats in yogurt are healthy for you.
So I suspect very low milk prices probably didn't help.
Anecdotally it seems to me the market these days is for milk products like Greek yogurt and aged cheeses.
Also, I was bored one day and watched a lot of dairy farm videos - it's become very automated, where just a couple of people can manage an enormous herd of cows, and the cows even have better living conditions than at typical farms.
So that probably drives the massive overproduction as well since it's so easy to have a running farm.