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Minnesota dairy farmers interested in A2 milk

Some dairy farms are looking to capture a potential growth market.

Sanchez Philocles with the Minnesota Agricultural Utilization Research Institute says A2 milk is a result of breeding exclusively for A2 so that no A1 beta-casein is present in the milk.

“With this study we went out to get some market information to understand what the forecast is for this market (and) what has been the growth during the past three to five years.”

He tells Brownfield the survey of Minnesota dairy farmers concluded the number of cows that will be converted to A2 genetics will rise as producers see positive market signals despite no current premium.

“Because of the perception of A2 being more digestible, this is just the perception, just the anecdote. And also among those dairy farmers who have not converted their herd yet, we see a handful of them being interested in converting in the future.”

Philocles says survey respondents indicated dairy processors in Minnesota have not driven interest in A2 milk and there will be additional market research to understand why because processing procurement decisions greatly impact sales opportunities.