An economist says declining dairy cow numbers are reflective of regions facing tighter margins and higher feed costs this year.
Economist Tanner Ehmke with CoBank tells Brownfield farmers in New Mexico are especially getting hit hard.
“What we’re hearing antidotally is some producers are being forced to liquidate some of their herds to work with the bank,” he says.
While other regions, like in the Midwest, Ehmke says have been more favorable.
