Dairy farms are on the decline in America, according to a recent study by the University of Tennessee, decreasing 95% since 1970.

With only 125 dairy farms left in Tennessee, Sweetwater Valley Farm’s dairy manager, Charles Harrison said they’ve had to adapt to stay afloat.

“We have a saying in the dairy industry: ‘If you’re not growing, you’re going to be out.’ It’s just a matter of time,” said Harrison.

For generations, Sweetwater Valley Farm has supplied East Tennessee with dairy.

“I know a lot of people that maybe a generation ago even that were dairy farmers and have quit or have not been able to continue dairying,” he said. “A lot of those people have switched into row cropping or beef cattle, things like that, that have a little bit, or a little less risk and maybe a little bit better-guaranteed margin.”

With high costs of production, and low milk sales, many farmers had to leave the industry, but Harrison said diversification has been key to their growth.

“Most of our income is from shipping out milk, but, you know, we look at these other businesses and kind of say, hey, we probably need to be growing and spending a little bit more time and some of these other businesses, because maybe that’s where the future is,” he said.

Harrison said they have moved towards producing cheese, harvesting their own feed in their corn mill, and investing in new technology to keep their cows healthy. However, with these adaptations, he explained it is harder for smaller farms to survive.

“In the last probably ten years, it’s less than half the dairy farms, ten years before that, half. So, I would say ten years from now there will probably be half the dairies there are now,” said Harrison.

While the industry is tough, Harrison said it is the family tradition that keeps them in business.

“Dairy farming is very special, you know, it’s a lifestyle. I want to raise my kids around the dairy, you know, I want my kids running around the cows just like I did,” he said.

Despite their need to adjust to the demands of dairy production, Harrison said they have had a good year so far. He also stresses the importance of learning where your dairy comes from and shopping locally to support small businesses.

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