Local Dairy

Massachusetts dairy farms are vital to the agricultural land base and the agricultural economy of our region, and the milk they produce (23.5 million gallons annually!!) is processed and sold right here in Massachusetts and neighboring states.

20% of the milk consumed in our state is produced by Massachusetts farms — that’s significantly more than the estimated 12.5% of our whole diet that is Massachusetts-grown, and it’s true regardless of which brand you buy or where you buy your milk. Buying dairy products supports Massachusetts dairy farmers! Want to support dairy farmers directly? You can buy milk from farmers at farm stands, farmers’ markets, or via home delivery. You can find a list of cheese, butter, cream and other dairy products produced in the Pioneer Valley here. For a statewide list, visit massdairy.com.

Dairy farms matter

Dairy farmers are considered the “anchor tenants” of the region’s farmland base. Only 1.7% of the farms in Massachusetts are dairy farms, but dairy farms steward 9.8% of our agricultural land and account for 9.5% of the state’s farm product sales. Of the 125 dairy farms remaining in Massachusetts, 43% are in Franklin, Hampden, and Hampshire Counties.

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 vital to all farms in our region.

Get to know your dairy farmers

Check out this list of dairy related articles and stories!

MA Dairy Promotion Board Video Channel.  Videos about Massachusetts dairy farmers.

Must be the milk.  More videos about Massachusetts dairy farmers. The Barstow’s Longview Farm is in Hadley, MA and  Luther Belden Farm is in Hatfield. Smith’s Country Cheese and Jordan Dairy Farm are in Worcester County.

CISA Profiles:

Devine Farm. A Hadley dairy farm with a special relationship with the Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences at UMass.
Bree-Z-Knoll Farm. A Leyden dairy farm milking 170 cows on 350 acres.
Sidehill Farm. A dairy farm that produces yogurt for sale around the state, in addition to raw milk on the farm.
Upinngil Farm. A diversified family farm selling raw milk and their own cheese from the farm stand, in addition to fruit and vegetables.
Mayval Farm. A Westhampton dairy farm that sells cheese, beef, eggs, maple syrup, and skyr in addition to milk.
Barstow’s Longview Farm. A dairy farm that also runs a bakery, converts manure to electricity with its homemade anaerobic digester, and sells development rights on their land to the state.
J&J Farms. A self-described “century farm” in Amherst producing 150 gallons of milk a day.
Cook Farm. A Hadley dairy farm selling raw milk and ice cream at their Flayvors of Cook Farm ice cream stand.
Robinson Farm. A dairy farm in Hardwick making their own raw milk cheese.

WGBY Public Television segments:

Robotic Milking, December 17th, 2014. Barstow’s Longview Farm has installed state of the art robotic milkers.
Local Yogurt, May 16th, 2013. Visit Sidehill Farm and GoBerry and learn about local yogurt! Segment starts at 18:35.
Dairy Farms, March 1st, 2012. WGBY’s Connecting Point visits Luther Belden Farm and Mapleline Farm to discuss the unique challenges facing dairy farms in Massachusetts.

WRSI Radio Interviews:

Want to know more?

Massachusetts Organizations

Massachusetts Dairy Promotion Board, www.massdairy.com or https://www.facebook.com/MADPB.
MA Department of Agricultural Resources Dairy Page.

Milk Cooperatives

Many dairy farmers sell into milk cooperatives, which are owned by the farm members. Here is information about the largest milk cooperatives in our state:

Agrimark/Cabot Cabot butter is made in West Springfield, MA!
Dairy Farmers of America
Dairylea

Raw Milk

Dairy farmers can also produce and sell raw and/or organic milk. Find out more here:

NOFA/Mass Raw Milk Network
Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance