Item
Arizona dairy farms pivot from restaurants to food banks as COVID-19 shifts demand
Title (Dublin Core)
Arizona dairy farms pivot from restaurants to food banks as COVID-19 shifts demand
Description (Dublin Core)
By Sarandon Raboin/Luce Foundation: Southwest Stories Fellowship
.
PHOENIX – Thousands of gallons of wasted milk. Unpredictable, zigzagging prices. Abrupt dips and surges in demand.
The past four months have been a roller coaster for Arizona dairy farms, as the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically changed the way some of their biggest clients did business.
The ride isn’t over yet: Arizona is a COVID-19 hotspot, meaning impacts on school and restaurant operations – and their dairy needs – remain uncertain.
Food banks find themselves overwhelmed with community demand, yet some struggle to safely store and distribute the flood of milk being donated.
And beyond Arizona’s borders, foreign dairy markets continue to evolve.
“In 46 years, I’ve never seen anything like this,” said Keith Murfield, chief executive officer of United Dairymen of Arizona.
The market value for dairy products made in Arizona exceeds $762 million and is one of the top five agricultural commodities for the state, according to the Arizona Commerce Authority.
The past four months have been a roller coaster for Arizona dairy farms, as the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically changed the way some of their biggest clients did business.
The ride isn’t over yet: Arizona is a COVID-19 hotspot, meaning impacts on school and restaurant operations – and their dairy needs – remain uncertain.
Food banks find themselves overwhelmed with community demand, yet some struggle to safely store and distribute the flood of milk being donated.
And beyond Arizona’s borders, foreign dairy markets continue to evolve.
“In 46 years, I’ve never seen anything like this,” said Keith Murfield, chief executive officer of United Dairymen of Arizona.
The market value for dairy products made in Arizona exceeds $762 million and is one of the top five agricultural commodities for the state, according to the Arizona Commerce Authority.
Date (Dublin Core)
July 29, 2020
Creator (Dublin Core)
Sarandon Raboin
Contributor (Dublin Core)
Erin Craft
Event Identifier (Dublin Core)
Cronkite-Luce Fellowship
Partner (Dublin Core)
Arizona State University
Type (Dublin Core)
article
Link (Bibliographic Ontology)
Publisher (Dublin Core)
Cronkite News Arizona PBS
Controlled Vocabulary (Dublin Core)
English
Agriculture
English
Food & Drink
English
Rural
English
Community & Community Organizations
Curator's Tags (Omeka Classic)
#lucegrant
schools
farmers
Arizona
food banks
dairy farms
Collection (Dublin Core)
Luce Grant
rural
Linked Data (Dublin Core)
Exhibit (Dublin Core)
Southwest Stories>Rural Communities
Southwest Stories>Sarandon Raboin
Curatorial Notes (Dublin Core)
Added to Arizona Collection. 03/22/2022. HR
Date Submitted (Dublin Core)
08/13/2020
Date Modified (Dublin Core)
08/13/2020
07/15/2021
03/22/2022
06/11/2022