A look at the future of dairies

A group of agriculture experts from around the world recently published a Journal of Dairy Science article sharing their vision for what dairy production and consumption will look like in 2067.It is expected that the demand for dairy products will grow, for two main reasons. First, per capita income worldwide will be higher and allow the average person to purchase more animal products. Second, dairy products meet human nutritional requirements while requiring less land per unit of edible protein than many other food products. It is projected that climate change will cause a significant shift in the location of U.S. dairy cows. Right now, approximately 42 percent of U.S. milk is produced in states that are expected to have severe water shortages by 2067. Expansion will likely trend towards areas with more adequate water resources — the Upper Midwest, the Great Lakes region and the central provinces of Canada.The authors proposed a model of how dairy enterprises might be organized. Several milk cow facilities with similar design will be located in close proximity to each other, where cows will be milked with robotic systems. All animals not milking (calves, heifers, steers and dry cows) will be managed in separate, specialized, shared facilities. Feed will be stored and mixed at feed centers serving multiple locations.There will continue to be some smaller, independent dairy farms. They will likely have targeted niche markets, such as grass-fed milk, local food or proprietary products.Cows will be managed with precision, thanks to sensors, robots, and other automated technologies.