North Dakota has the makings for a dairy comeback, even if it means starting farms from scratch with new producers.

In April, the state’s number of dairy farms dropped below 100, sparking a campaign by the North Dakota Dairy Coalition to restore its dairy industry, according to anarticle by Jessica Holdman in The Bismark Tribune.

The coalition, partnering with the North Dakota Department of Agriculture, the Midwest Dairy Association and other crop commodity groups, aims to diversify existing dairies and attract more farmers to the state.

“When you’re down to less than 100 herds in the state, you have to go back to the basics,” Amber Boeshans, the coalition’s executive director, told the newspaper.

She said the state has all the raw materials for a dairy comeback, including a diverse number of feeds. Producers in other states said they get their hay and dried distillers grains from North Dakota.

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“We have so much going for us,” she said. “We have all (the) right people to get this done.” PD

—Summarized by PD staff from cited source