A handful of cooperatives control the US milk market

By: Juan Vassallo, Investigate Midwest

Outlets: Minnesota Reformer

Published: October 1, 2026

Words: 300

Last Updated: 2 weeks, 3 days ago

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First published by Investigate Midwest.

Decades of consolidation have pushed thousands of dairy farms out of business, as rising costs for feed, fertilizer, labor and other inputs have made it increasingly difficult for smaller operations to survive. As of 2022, industrial-scale farms with at least 2,500 cows account for about 45% of all U.S. milk sales.

But consolidation is not limited to farms. The dairy cooperatives that represent farmers have also …

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