The cost of down is up from $12/lb in ’09 to almost $30/lb today, while duck down has risen from $10/lb to $19/lb over the same period. Diet and urbanization are primarily why. As the Chinese become wealthier city-dwellers, fewer and fewer of them are raising ducks for food. Exacerbating this trend, worldwide demand for fish, chicken and beef is up while demand for geese and ducks is declining.
Tag Archives: Farming
Udder Nonsense
Eager to take advantage of fat margins dairy farmers around the world ramped up production in response to high prices. But, those same record prices weakened consumer demand for milk (down 4%), cheese (1.5%) and butter (2.5%). Now, the increased supply and decreased demand have resulted in 17% lower prices for milk! How many dairy farmers survive depends on how fast banks cut off credit to unprofitable farms.