Dairy farm count in Thuringia decreases significantly - Dairy farm count in Thuringia diminishes
Decline in Thuringia's Dairy Farming Sector
The agricultural landscape of Thuringia has witnessed a significant reduction in the number of dairy farms over the past decade. According to the Thuringian Ministry of Economics, the number of dairy farms has dwindled from 500 ten years ago to 280 in 2023.
simultaneous decrease in the population of dairy cows has not been as pronounced, with a decrease of nearly 24 percent, leaving 82,900 animals in 2023, compared to 109,000 a decade ago.
The declining farm count can be observed nationwide, with many farms either abandoning dairy farming or investing in larger stalls and improved automation. This shift, coupled with a severe shortage of skilled workers in agriculture, results in increased milk production per farm.
Despite the sharp drop in the number of dairy farms, milk production has decreased only about 21 percent in nine years, reaching 770,000 tonnes last year, according to the Federal Statistical Office.
It's worth noting that the organic dairy farming sector in Thuringia plays a minimal role, with only 20 out of approximately 4,890 organic farms nationwide having dairy cows in 2023, a figure that has remained largely unchanged over the past ten years. These organic farms together kept 1,800 dairy cows last year, largely due to the limited number of dairies in the state and the stringent requirement for separate conventional and organic production.
While no explicit reasons for the decline in dairy farms have been provided in the available sources, economic challenges in agriculture, such as reduced demand or profitability pressures that affect farmers' investment capacities, could contribute to farm closures or consolidations, including dairy farms. Additional studies or reports specific to Thuringia's dairy sector are recommended for precise figures and explanations on the decline.
- Community aid may be necessary to support the declining dairy farming industry in Thuringia, as the number of dairy farms have decreased from 500 to 280 over the past decade.
- In the field of wealth-management, investing in technology could potentially boost the efficiency of remaining dairy farms, helping them to stay competitive in the face of reduced demand and profitability pressures.
- With the declining number of dairy farms, the finance sector might need to adapt its business strategies to cater to the new landscape, offering products and services tailored to smaller dairies or individual farmers.
- The personal-finance sector could also play a role in helping farmers navigate these challenging times, providing advice and resources for wealth-management and business planning during this period of industry transformation.
