More Milk, Fewer Farms, and Regional Concentration
Mapping Transformations in California's Dairy Industry
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 4490582 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Sophie Barrowman (0009-0005-3675-5231), Kayla Yurco, David Sumner (0000-0003-3839-6824), Mark H Cooper (0000-0001-5115-3742) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 115 |
| Issue | 1-2 |
| Pages | 49-80 |
| Publication date | 2025-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Geographical Review (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0016-7428 • E-ISSN: 1931-0846 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/00167428.2024.2391832 |
| OpenAlex | W4402676220 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 18 |
The transformation of California’s dairy industry is a prime example of structural change in agriculture. The state has been on the leading edge of changes in the geography of food and agriculture for 150 years, and many characteristics of modern large-scale agriculture emerged—or reached their culmination—in California. We examine the spatial transformation of dairy production in California as a window into the potential futures for the dairy industry both within California and elsewhere. We use data from county agricultural reports and USDA Censuses of Agriculture data to demonstrate, through a series of original maps and animations, the dramatic increase in production of milk, the rapid fall in the number of dairies, and the spatial redistribution of the industry over the past 40 years. These visualizations reveal illustrative spatial patterns and insights into rapid changes in the geography of dairy production—and agriculture more generally—within California. Based on these visualizations and analyses, we propose a framework for understanding the intersecting phenomena of dairy transformations in California: regional concentration, industry consolidation, and farm-level intensification. In explaining how these processes are nested, overlapping, and multiscalar, we offer an account of past and current trajectories, while examining the applicability and implications of these findings for other dairy-producing regions into the future
Agricultural economics · Agricultural science · Biology · Business · Dairy industry · Economics · Geography · Environmental Science · Food Science · Global trade, sustainability, and social impact · Organic Food and Agriculture · Rural development and sustainability
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The political economy of a productivist agriculture
Dairy intensification
Political ecology of milk
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Milking the Plains
Creative Preservation in California's Dairy Industry
Dairy Industrialization in the First Place
Obstacles to the development of a capitalist agriculture
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |