Every year, a new development impacts the dairy industry. This year is no exception. There are plenty of new trends that can allow us to gain a better understanding of what our next move should be to bring customers exactly what they need.
However, many of these trends are quite useless for small and medium-sized farms. So we decided to pick out only the most suitable trends for you to save your time and effort.
Sustainability
The main trend is dictated by the eco-friendly movement that’s been going on for years now. Small and medium-sized farms are already quite sustainable because they don’t have huge factories or herds that cause a negative impact on the environment. But there is always room for improvement.
Research from 2020 shows that 67% of consumers care about the health of our planet, and they prefer producers that have the same outlook. We can be sure that this number has only grown since then. Therefore, it’s vital to analyze the way you manage your farm and adjust it to the expectations of consumers.
51% of U.S. consumers care about animal welfare and wish to support farms that provide their animals with good conditions. So that would be a good place to start your journey toward sustainability. You can take a look at the way your kettle is handled and see if you can make any changes to make it less stressed and happier. Find inspiration from all those funny videos of cows scratching their backs on special brushes and playing with toys in a field.
By the way, if you film your kettle having fun, it could be some nice social media content to promote your farm.
Thoughtful waste disposal, planting cover crops, protecting water and soil, and other ways to reduce your carbon footprint could also represent steps toward an even greener farm.
Cognitive and mental health
The COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on many people’s mental health. With more free time on our hands, we contemplated how to improve it. While it might not be the most obvious solution, dairy can have a positive impact on our mental health. Numerous studies show that more protein in our diet helps us be less anxious and depressed. Dairy is rich in protein. Also, milk contains the amino acid tryptophan that helps us sleep better, thus allowing us to feel more rested and improving our mental state.
It’s a good idea to market your dairy from this perspective since people keep looking for ways to improve their cognitive abilities and mental health. And we might see an increased demand for the main dairy foods because of this trend.
Learn from the experience of other farmers! Read this story about a small dairy farm in Norway to find new ideas for your workflow: https://milkyday.com/blog/2019/10/15/dairy-farm-from-norway-litlvea-gard/.
Physical health
Who doesn’t want to be healthy? Stress, fast food and the fast pace of life, amplified by the fact that people have less time and energy for exercise, impact our health negatively. Dairy is one of the best solutions for strengthening our bones, improving gut health and digestion, keeping our cardiovascular system in a good shape and much more. You can read about all the health benefits of dairy in one of our previous articles.
By raising awareness of the health benefits of dairy, small and medium-sized farms can attract more local consumers who are seeking ways to improve their wellbeing. If you aren’t selling yogurt and other fermented dairies yet, you should think about doing that, as these foods have even more health benefits. It’s easy to create fermented dairy using suitable bacteria and a milk pasteurizer.
Check out our range of milk pasteurizers to find the one that fits the volume of dairy you produce. If you’re struggling to make the right choice, just drop us a line and we will help you out! https://milkyday.com/products/milk-pasteurizers
Packaging
This trend of dairy farming in the U.S. refers to the sustainability movement. Consumers want the packaging of their products to be more eco-friendly and, in the best-case scenario, reusable. The top dairy producers have to come up with something new to cater to this requirement because it’s not easy for them to offer reusable packaging. But small and medium-sized farms have a simple solution: good old glass jars.
In all likelihood, you are already using them as packaging for your dairy products. You can also encourage your customers to bring the jars back to you so that you can clean them properly and reuse them. To assure them that this is safe, you can tell them in detail about the cleaning process and even show them how it works. Reusable packaging is a great way to sell more dairy in 2022.
Thinking about adding more machines to your farm? Check out our guide on milk processing equipment for small and medium-sized farms: https://milkyday.com/blog/2020/08/24/milk-processing-equipment-for-small-scale-dairy-farm/
Digitalization
This trend is huge in every industry—not only for milk farms in the U.S. Businesses around the world are doing their best to digitalize their processes in order to make them more efficient and better market their products. While implementing this tendency in a small or medium-sized dairy farm can be tricky, there are digital solutions that can ease your work.
From robotic milking to AI predictions and digital-based cattle management, technology can simplify the processes on your farm. That is precisely what it was created for: to take some of the load off our shoulders. Try searching for some solutions you could implement on your farm that would make your everyday routine easier for you as well as reduce the costs of your processes.
These are trends that are affecting the dairy industry in 2022. Some of them might be not new to you, as they’re influenced by tendencies that already existed before. And some may seem too difficult to implement into your workflow. However, something being a trend doesn’t mean you absolutely have to try it. On the other hand, it never hurts to find new ways to improve things both in terms of the work you need to do and the revenue you bring in.
So look at this list of trends as tips and inspiration for upgrading your dairy farm and getting more customers.