Local Dairy
Massachusetts is home to 149 dairy farms. Our dairy farmers run small, often multi-generation, family –farms. They produce a wide range of dairy products from milk to yogurt and ice cream to cheese, and they supply fluid milk to regional processing plants that bottle milk and cream and make ice cream, butter, and milk powder. In addition to milking cows, many of the dairy farms in our region also produce and sell other agricultural products. Some dairy farmers make maple syrup, others grow hay to sell, and some have built farm stands to provide their local community with a cornucopia of local products.
Supporting your local dairy farmers is easier than you think!
Most of the milk produced by our region’s dairy farmers is processed regionally and sold regionally (think New England and New York). Shipping fluid milk is expensive because it is heavy, needs to be refrigerated, and requires additional regulation—and fees—when it crosses state lines. Milk from our dairy farms is primarily processed in plants in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York, and that milk is sold primarily in those states. (A recent study by the Manoment Center for Conservation Sciences found that 18% of the milk consumed in our state is produced by Massachusetts farms.) The processing plant for every dairy product is listed right on the container – so if you are curious about where your milk or dairy product is processed you can look it up here. Or you can buy dairy products directly from farmers at farm stands, farmer’s markets, or (depending on where you live) via home delivery.
But don’t stop at milk! Buying other products from your local dairy farmers will help keep the farms on the land and the cows producing for years to come. Search for diary, cheese and other products with MassGrown and Fresher’s map http://www.mass.gov/agr/massgrown/map.htm or visit http://www.massdairy.com/fromourfarms.html.
Why support your local dairy farms?
Dairy farmers are considered the “anchor tenants” of the region’s farmland base. Only 2% of the farms in the state are dairy farms but they steward 22% of all land in farms and account for 10% of the region’s farm product sales (Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences and 2012 Ag census).
On average, a farm with 100 cows supports 200 acres of crop land, woodland and pasture. Successful dairy farms keep our landscape open and support important farm services, like equipment repair, that are important to all farms in our region.
A recent study of Pioneer Valley dairy by American Farmland Trust, entitled Increasing Local Milk Processing Capacity: Benefits to Pioneer Valley Consumers and Communities, describes the importance of the dairy industry, the challenges of achieving profitability on New England dairy farms, and the potential impact of an investment in infrastructure for dairy processing. If you are interested in the economic and environmental benefits of supporting dairy farmers in the Pioneer Valley, this is a great resource.
Get to know your dairy farmers
Here are some profiles and interviews with local dairy farmers.
Dairy farming is a 7 day-a-week/365 day-a-year job and the health and comfort of their cows is a top priority for our farmers. Learn about dairy farming from the farmers themselves.
MA Dairy Promotion Board Video Channel. Video’s about Massachusetts dairy farmers.
Must be the milk. More video’s about Massachusetts dairy farmers. Great Brook Farm is in Carlisle, MA!
Massachusetts Daily Promotion Board, www.massdairy.com or https://www.facebook.com/MADPB.
MA Department of Agricultural Resources Dairy Page (http://www.mass.gov/agr/massgrown/dairy-farms.htm)
Many dairy farmers sell into milk cooperatives. Here is information about the most common milk cooperatives in our state:
Agrimark/Cabot. https://www.agrimark.net/ Cabot butter is made in West Springfield, MA.
Dairy Farmers of America (http://www.dfamilk.com/)
Dairylea (http://www.dairylea.com/)
Dairy farmers can also produce and sell raw and/or organic milk. Find out more here:
NOFA/Mass Raw Milk Network (http://www.nofamass.org/programs/raw-milk-network#.UbD4EdiXSLp)
Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance (http://www.nodpa.com/)
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