Milk Money

Cash, Cows, and the Death of the American Dairy Farm

Kirk Kardashian

The dairy business is at the heart of the culture and economy of Vermont, just as it is in many other states. That fact meant little to Kirk Kardashian until he started taking his daughter to daycare at a dairy farm a few miles from his Vermont home. The farm had been owned by the same family for generations but struggled to make ends meet in a market where retail milk prices have held steady for decades while the prices paid to farmers have plummeted. Suddenly, the abstractions of economics and commodities markets were replaced by the flesh and blood of a farm family whom he greeted every day.  

In the tradition of Michael Pollan and Eric Schlosser, Kardashian asks whether it is right that family farmers in America should toil so hard, produce a food so wholesome and so popular, and still lose money. His investigation uncovers the hidden forces behind dairy farm consolidation and explains why milk—a staple subject to both government oversight and industry collusion—has proven so tricky to stabilize, even as scores of small dairy farms close. This new edition brings the story up to date, as farmers grapple with an ever-changing landscape that includes shifting consumer preferences, immigration issues, climate change, and bird flu.

Paper: $29.95 | E-book: $28.95
ISBN-13: 9781684582945
Pages: 278 | Size: 5.5 in. x 8.5 in.
Date Published: October 10, 2025

About the Author

Kirk Kardashian

Kirk Kardashian is a Vermont freelance writer, journalist, and author who writes about the outdoors, business, technology, and the intersection of the three. Born in New York City and raised in Montclair, New Jersey, he graduated from Colgate University in 2000 with a Bachelor’s degree in Peace Studies, then received his J.D. from Vermont Law School in 2004. He practiced law for five years in Vermont while freelance writing on the side. In 2011, he joined the Tuck School of Business as a senior writer in the Office of Communications; this shift allowed him to pursue writing and journalism in a more full time capacity. He lives in Woodstock, Vermont with his wife and three children.

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