The New Year could double milk prices to $7 a gallon

[jeffrey]

Problem is, the current bill expired last summer, and Congress had been unable to agree on a new one. Several protections for farmers have already expired, and several more are set to do so over the next few months. One of them is the dairy subsidy, which expires January 1.

But instead of leaving farmers entirely out in the cold, the law states that if a new bill isn't passed or the current one extended, the formula for calculating the price the government pays for dairy products reverts back to a 1949 statute. Under that formula, the government would be forced to buy milk at twice today's price -- driving up the cost for everyone...

Milk prices may double in the New Year - Dec. 21, 2012

[bUU]

It's got to be jarring to realize that only subsidies have been keeping milk from approaching $7 a gallon before now. Who'd have thought milk costs so much more than gasoline?

[wolfy]

That kind of increase would definitely make us have to reorganize our budget. It adds up fast over the course of the month when you buy 1 or 2 gallons a week. I would feel really bad for the families that I see buying 4 or 5 gallons at a time.

[bUU]

There is a silver lining... perhaps the medical community will finally be brave enough to let Americans in on the dirty little secret, that milk and dairy products are not necessary for a healthful diet, and that generally, most people would be better off consume far less milk and dairy than they consume today. They've really done us all a great disservice by promoting the dairy industry, effectively getting us addicted to the stuff (guilty as charged, here).

[kork13]

An interesting side-result for me... If milk truly does become outrageously expensive, it would probably finally give me the final kick-in-the-pants to switch over to rice milk. I've been considering it for a while (preferring it over soy, almond, or other milk alternatives), but those milk alternatives still have a price premium, so I've simply lived with my (very slight) lactose intolerance for the last few years. If that price premium swings the other way, there would really be no reason for me not to make the switch.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

No, no! Not my precious CHEESE!

[kork13]

There is a silver lining... perhaps the medical community will finally be brave enough to let Americans in on the dirty little secret, that milk and dairy products are not necessary for a healthful diet, and that generally, most people would be better off consume far less milk and dairy than they consume today. They've really done us all a great disservice by promoting the dairy industry, effectively getting us addicted to the stuff (guilty as charged, here).

I've read multiple articles over the years discussing the fact that humans are not designed to drink milk beyond a certain (disputed) age -- ranging from after infancy to early adulthood (early 20's). In any case, most people are designed to become lactose intolerant (to varying degrees) over time. The vitamin D, calcium, and protein are good for us, obviously, but the human body isn't biologically designed to get it from milk, and most people cannot do so efficiently.

[bUU]

And there are loads of other sources for those nutrients.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

Kork, that vitamin D is added to cow's milk, not naturally occuring. (Even breastfed babies are often given supplemental vitamin D.

Many societies continue consuming milk well into adulthood, but more often in the form of yogurt and cheeses which have little lactose left in them.