this post was submitted on 28 Sep 2024
446 points (94.2% liked)

196

16276 readers
4259 users here now

Be sure to follow the rule before you head out.

Rule: You must post before you leave.

^other^ ^rules^

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] cogman@lemmy.world 18 points 7 hours ago

What actually raises the price of milk is the farmer uses his profits to buy up other local dairy farms consolidating their position in the market. They then sign exclusivity deals with both grocers and further milk processors (who are also consolidating) to prevent competing in the market, driving their competitors to either sell for cheap or go out of business. https://theconversation.com/americas-dairy-farms-are-disappearing-down-95-since-the-1970s-milk-price-rules-are-one-reason-why-237439#:~:text=Across%20the%20country%2C%20the%20dairy,per%20farm%20%E2%80%93%20has%20been%20rising.

Because "farm Inc" has a massive horde of wealth, they can stamp out competition by either buying them out, cutting them out, or driving them out of business with prices a small farmer can't handle. After that, they get to set and raise prices at will with the now smaller pool of big name "farm Inc".

This literally happens every time a market is poorly regulated and businesses allowed to grow too big. It's the natural end state of capitalism.