Mega-Dairies Riding a Herd Instinct Industry

A supply chain stretching from California to Australia to central China, inexpensive farmland in rural provinces and plenty of cash are some of the high-octane fuels powering a rapidly expanding dairy farm sector in China.

Mega-dairies each with at least 10,000 head of cattle have been popping up across the country. Construction is under way or has been completed at more than 40 sprawling operations that often combine pastures, feedlots, milking barns and shipping facilities.
 
A huge farm in Anhui Province run by Modern Farming Group Co. Ltd. was designed for about 20,000 cows. According to the company's executive director, in the future three farms in Anhui will accommodate as many as 70,000 head. In June, the company said it was milking about 159,000 cows at 20 farms nationwide.