Marin Organic Dairies Squeezed By Tightening Prices

Facing increasing competition, Marin County’s organic dairy farmers are struggling to hold their place in an overcrowded market.

“It’s really in turmoil right now,” organic dairy farmer Randy Lafranchi said of the market. “I don’t know what it’s going to take to get the prices to straighten out.”

Many conventional milk producers in Marin County made the switch to certified organic over the past decade to cash in on the premium price for milk. But that swung the supply from a shortage to an overabundance, driving down prices that some distributors are paying organic milk producers.

To add to that, large corporations are buying out — and in some cases edging out — small organic dairy producers regionally.

To read the rest of the story, please go to: Marin Independent Journal