BERRIEN SPRINGS, Mich. (AP) — A university in southwestern Michigan is shutting down its dairy farm business after operating for more than a century.
The Herald-Palladium of St. Joseph reports that Andrews University’s board of trustees voted Monday to focus on the farm’s food crops grown on 750 acres. The farm began its dairy production in 1907 and is now slated to shutter the operations next year.
University President Andrea Luxton says the decision was made to ensure stable finances for the school. She says the demand for milk and milk products has fallen nationally, while dairy producers increase their herd sizes and large distributors create mega-dairies.
Luxton says income from the farm’s dairy production has dropped considerably, leading to financial losses over the last three years.