Crunch at Ports May Mean Crisis for American Farms
Its just 60 miles from El Dorado Dairy in Ontario, Calif., to the nations largest container port in Los Angeles. But the farm is having little luck getting its products onto a ship headed for the foreign markets that are crucial to its business.
The farm is part of one of the nations largest cooperatives, California Dairies Inc., which manufactures milk powder for factories in Southeast Asia and Mexico that use it to make candy, baby formula and other foods. The company typically ships 50 million pounds of its milk powder and butter out of ports each month. But roughly 60 percent of the companys bookings on outbound vessels have been canceled or deferred in recent months, resulting in about $45 million in missed revenue per month.
This is not just a problem, its not just an inconvenience, its catastrophic, said Brad Anderson, the chief executive of California Dairies.
A supply chain crisis for imports has grabbed national headlines and attracted the attention of the Biden administration, as shoppers fret about securing gifts in time for the holidays and as strong consumer demand for couches, electronics, toys and clothing pushes inflation to its highest level in three decades.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/news/crunch-at-ports-may-mean-crisis-for-american-farms/ar-AAQGpHy