Dairy farmers struggle to cover expenses as American appetites change

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2024-12-24 19:00:04

By Emily Pandise , Nancy Chen

As the holiday season gets underway, Americans are preparing to spend big on baking ingredients. Butter consumption, for example, grew 16% last November and December compared to the rest of 2023, according to USDA data. On average, Americans consumed 6.5 pounds of butter last year, a number that's been on the rise.

Prices of staples like flour, sugar and milk have been steadily climbing for the past five years, as have the prices for many grocery items, according to the CBS News Price Tracker . Egg prices have skyrocketed 160% since 2019, due in part to shortages linked to several outbreaks of bird flu. Butter is more expensive by 29%, about in line with all grocery increases over the same period.

Nate Chittenden starts his day taking care of nearly a thousand cows on his family's dairy farm, Dutch Hollow, in New York's Hudson Valley. His herd of Jersey cows, known for high-fat milk that goes into products like cheese, butter and ice cream, requires round-the-clock maintenance to stay healthy and maximize productivity.