By Donna Westfall – Credit to The Food Revolution Network and Riseofthevegan.com- March 27, 2017 –

Did you hear that the largest dairy farm in Eastern United States is quitting the dairy business?  It’s because people are drinking half the amount of milk down from about 240 pounds per person in 2010 to about 120 pounds per person in 2015.

Here’s what’s going on: Consumers are becoming more knowledgeable on the one hand due to  concerns about saturated fat, cholesterol and hormones.  On the other hand turning cows into milk machines has led to epidemics of “production-related diseases”, such as lameness and mastitis (udder infections), the two leading causes of dairy cow mortality in the U.S. This weakness is due to the extreme genetic manipulation and supplemented hormones which cause unnaturally high milk yields.

What will replace cow’s milk?

Nut milks like almond, hazelnuts, cashews, walnuts, coconuts, and macadamia; rice, soy and hemp. How will that affect the price and availability for consumers?

I spoke with Tom at our local Wild Rivers Market in Crescent City. He said for 1/2 gallon, prices range from $4-6 depending on type.  They are sold out of almond, but will get a shipment in on Wednesday.  For shelf products, prices range from $2.59 to $3.50.

The almond industry in California continues to grow despite the drought. From an article in Capital Press dated December 11, 2014, the almond industry contributed $21.5 billion a year and provides 100,000 jobs.