Dairy farmers in California, the nation’s high milk producer, face stress from rising prices, more and more complicated environmental rules and a quest for water—challenges all magnified by a historic drought. For some, the challenges are existential.
Within the north coast, dwelling to the state’s small, natural dairy farms, shrunken reservoirs and shriveled pastures pushed some farmers to the brink earlier this 12 months. Within the San Joaquin Valley—an enormous agricultural area within the middle of the state the place 90% of California’s milk is produced—farmers are paying extra for cow feed and water, driving up the price of producing a gallon of milk.