Vermont Dairy supports our economy with nutritious products, employing thousands of people, and keeps our land working and productive.
Vermont dairy delivers. We are encouraged to present this comprehensive data-driven analysis, illustrating that over the past decade, dairy, like our farmers and processors themselves, has been on the move.
Dairy farming is rugged but rewarding. Our suppliers, our fertilizer and feed companies, our veterinarians, our truck drivers, our dairy processors, and all those who support a working landscape are vital to Vermont’s farm economy. We hope you enjoy this deep dive into dairy and conclude, like we have, that “Vermont dairy delivers.”
The State of Dairy
Despite our small size, Vermont continues to be a national leader in dairy production. We are consistently among the top 20 milk producers in the country, producing two-thirds of the milk in New England, and supplying dairy to populated markets in New England and New York.
Explore Vermont Dairy
We hope you will take a closer look at how dairy is supporting the Vermont economy with nutritious products, employing thousands of people, and keeping our land working and productive.
It is clear that Vermont farmers are dedicated to environmental quality, first-class production facilities, care for people, animals, the land, and premium products—even while navigating a world pandemic and two major floods in the Green Mountains.
Meet Vermont Dairy Farmers
Every Vermont dairy farm has a unique story. For some farms, that story began two hundred years ago and continues to evolve into new chapters with each new generation of family farmers. For others, the story began more recently with a passion for the land, a love of animals, and a dream of what a dairy could be.
Through all these farms and farmers, you’ll find common threads of hope, hard work and independence that every Vermonter can appreciate.
Meet some of Vermont’s dairy farmers:
Strafford Organic Creamery
Strafford
Rock Bottom Farm in Strafford, Vermont is home to Strafford Organic Creamery. Owner, Earl Ransom grew up milking cows on this 600-acre farm. He and his wife, Amy Huyffer, carry on his family’s tradition of managing the land organically, with no herbicides, pesticides or chemical fertilizers. Strafford’s line of ice cream is made in small batches, one day each week.
Learn more about Strafford Organic Creamery at Rock Bottom Farm.
Liberty Hill Farm
Rochester
Since 1984, Beth and Bob Kennett have offered farm vacation experiences to guests from around the world on their beautiful valley farm in Rochester, Vermont. The family, Bob and Beth (parents); David (son) and his wife Asia along with their daughter Ella manage the 220-acre farm to produce milk and accommodate their guests. The farm is Vermont’s first certified “Green” agritourism enterprise.
Learn more about Liberty Hill Farm.
Foster Brothers Farm
Middlebury
The Foster Brothers farm began its dairy operation in 1941 and incorporated in 1971. The dairy has a herd of more than 630 cows, of which more than 370 are milked, producing over 10.8 million pounds of milk each year. Foster Brothers Farm also produces electricity from cow manure, using an anaerobic digester which uses bacteria to break down the manure into methane gas.
Learn more about Foster Brothers Farm and Vermont Natural Ag Products.
Photo: Cabot Creamery Cooperative
Blue Spruce Farm
Bridport
Blue Spruce Farm is the Audet family’s third generation dairy farm whose herd of 1,500 cows (mostly registered Holsteins) produced over 4.3 million gallons of milk in 2014. Blue Spruce was the first Green Mountain Power Cow Power farm project in Vermont, and currently turns manure and other agricultural products into methane gas to produce enough renewable electricity to power more than 400 homes.
Learn more about Blue Spruce Farm.
Monument Dairy
Middlebury
Monument Farms milks about 460 cows and manages approximately 2000 acres in the lower Otter Creek river watershed. Monument to serves as a direct wholesaler of Vermont milk to many regional outlets.
The James and Rooney families take a great deal of pride in producing some of the finest dairy products in the state in a sustainable manner.
Learn more about Monument Farms.
Watch How Vermont Dairy Delivers!
Vermont Dairy Delivers
Download and read the full Vermont Dairy Delivers report as a pdf.
