US media reports suggest that organic dairy farmers in the country are finding themselves with a surplus of organic milk.
A combination of factors have led to the predicament, say reports in the Washington Post and Fortune.
Part of the reason is that US dairy organic dairy farmers have been expanding production to meet steadily rising consumer demand for organic milk, sales of which grew 22.5% between 2010-2015 (while sales conventional milk fell by 13%).
The other part of the story is the growing popularity of plant-based dairy alternative drinks, like almond, coconut and oat milk, that appeal to exactly the same health-focused consumer.
The organic dairy industry remains confident that the market will begin to pick up again, and that farm gate prices – which dropped sharply during 2016 and 2017 – will begin to stabilize. In the meantime organic produces have been looking to mitigate losses in milk sales by turning their milk into butter and skimn0milk powder.