Cows Are Too Stressed Out to Keep Up With Global Dairy Demand
Scorching temperatures are impeding milk production and withering the crops that cattle eat — dynamics that could contribute to shortages or price increases.
Extreme weather is threatening the global dairy supply as cows yield less milk under scorching temperatures.
Photographer: Eric Thayer/Bloomberg
Heat and drought are inflicting perilous strain on dairy cows across the globe, drying up their milk production and threatening the long-term global supply of everything from butter to baby formula.
Volumes of dairy are forecast to sink by nearly half a million metric tons this year in major exporter Australia as farmers exit the industry after years of pressure from heat waves. In India, small-scale farmers are contemplating investing in cooling equipment they’d have to stretch to afford. And producers in France had to pause making one type of high-quality cheese when parched fields left grass-fed cows with nowhere to graze.