Climate resilience is a measure of how well we're able to weather (no pun intended) the chaos that climate change creates, now and in the future. Unfortunately, the U.S. dairy industry has been going big on one of the most climate-vulnerable regions in our country: the Southwest, where megadairies and the alfalfa fields that feed them dominate, thanks to an outsized share of the Colorado River's water. Alex talks with cheese historian and dairy scientist Paul Kindstedt about how we can reimagine a decentralized, resilient, and more sustainable American dairy industry. Meanwhile, current-day climate threats like storms and hurricanes are making it even harder for independent cheese shops (and other small businesses) to stay open, and there's little to no support for these community hubs once disaster strikes. Alex speaks with Louise Converse, owner of Artisan Cheese Company in Sarasota, Florida, about how a tropical storm and two hurricanes in late 2024 nearly put her out of business—and how the community she created around her shop showed up for her and her team to keep the doors open. Stay tuned for Milkfed Season 2 later this year, and subscribe to Alex's newsletter at milkfed.news for more in the meantime.
Climate resilience is a measure of how well we're able to weather (no pun intended) the chaos that climate change creates, now and in the future. Unfortunately, the U.S. dairy industry has been going big on one of the most climate-vulnerable regions in our country: the Southwest, where megadairies and the alfalfa fields that feed them dominate, thanks to an outsized share of the Colorado River's water. Alex talks with cheese historian and dairy scientist Paul Kindstedt about how we can reimagine a decentralized, resilient, and more sustainable American dairy industry. Meanwhile, current-day climate threats like storms and hurricanes are making it even harder for independent cheese shops (and other small businesses) to stay open, and there's little to no support for these community hubs once disaster strikes. Alex speaks with Louise Converse, owner of Artisan Cheese Company in Sarasota, Florida, about how a tropical storm and two hurricanes in late 2024 nearly put her out of business—and how the community she created around her shop showed up for her and her team to keep the doors open.
Stay tuned for Milkfed Season 2 later this year, and subscribe to Alex's newsletter at milkfed.news for more in the meantime.
SOURCES:
Changes in the Size and Location of U.S. Dairy Farms, USDA ERS
Growth in output per cow drives U.S. milk production gains, USDA ERA
Majority of U.S. cows live on big dairies, FarmProgress
Change and Sustainability Issues in America’s Dairyland, Focus on Geography