Community
Conant Acres Canton, ME
Situated in the picturesque Androscoggin River Valley in the western Maine foothills, four generations of the Conant family work together. The slogan at Conant Acres is “Where Families Come First” and this is evident not only in the deeply pedigreed herd, but also in the people who care for the cows. In the early 1970’s, Duane Conant concentrated his efforts on purchasing promising young registered Holsteins, which led to a worldwide reputation and many awards for the family farm.
Clessons River Farm Buckland, MA
Melissa Griffin grew up the fifth generation on her family’s Buckland, Massachusetts farm and returned to join her parents, Paul and Judy Willis, after earning a master’s degree in trumpet performance. The father-daughter team gets help from their wife and mom, Judy, as well as Melissa’s husband, Adam, who both hold down off-farm jobs.
Champlainside Farm Bridport, VT
Tim and Julie Howlett raised their five daughters on the family farm where Tim’s grandfather settled more than 70 years ago. The family lives in the house he grew up in and Tim always planned to stick around and become a farmer.
Richardson Family Farm Hartland, VT
Tucked into the rolling hills of central Vermont is a picture-perfect farm with a herd of caramel-colored Jersey cows, beautiful wooden barns and a sugarhouse with artfully piled firewood. Along with their dad, Gordon, Scott Richardson and his younger brother Reid now run the farm their great-grandparents bought over a century ago.
Percy's Bouchard Farm Stowe, VT
Paul was born on his family’s farm and his son Ryan, the fourth generation, came home recently after a decade spent in California to join his father on the farm. Taking advantage of plentiful visitors year-round, Paul and his wife Lee also run a maple syrup operation and grow a corn maze for the busy fall leaf-peeping season. They rarely lose a visitor, Paul jokes: “I don’t make it that complicated.”
PAPAS Dairy LLC North Bangor, NY
The Poupore brothers run PAPAS Dairy in North Bangor, New York, and the name of the farm is a shout out to their father and an acronym for the five siblings. Peter, Alan, Patrick, Aaron, and Scott initially ran the family’s operation. PAPAS Dairy is a large operation with 2,100 milkers, about 2,100 young stock, and 4,000 acres of land. They grow corn silage and haylage, and with some 4,200 cows to feed, they use every bit of it on the farm.
North Star Acres Ellenburg Center, NY
Walter and Anne Trombley own the North Star Acres Farm in Ellenburg Center, NY where they have about 250 acres and a Holstein herd of 45 milkers and 35 young stock. They pasture the cows on about 70 acres of open land and grow haylage and alfalfa on the rest of the land for the winter months.
Newmont Farm Fairlee, VT
Some people host Open Houses for a few dozen friends and family, but the Gladstones do things on a slightly bigger scale. Their annual Open Farm event draws up to 800 visitors.The family’s original goal with the Open House event was to reach out to the community to offer a behind-the-scenes peek into daily life on their farm, from adorable baby calves to manure management.
Naughtaveel Farm North Conway, NH
Getting back to milk In a county known more for mountain activities and outlet stores, the Husseys run the only dairy farm. Justin’s grandfather, a veterinarian, started a farm in North Conway in 1960. The family took a break for almost two decades until Justin and Julie decided in 2003 to dip a toe into farming again.
A Farm Dream Realized: Inside McGarry Dairy’s Award-Winning Journey
Diane and Ed McGarry both studied agriculture in college and spent years working for and with farmers before they started milking their own herd in 1989 and set down the permanent roots of McGarry Dairy in 1993.
McDonald Farm Danville, VT
It was 1919 when 94 central Vermont farmers joined forces to turn their surplus milk into butter. McDonald Farm in Danville, one of the original co-op members, is still going strong.
Mapleview Dairy Madrid, NY
Floyd and Millie Fisher started their farm back in 1946 with 42 cows. Their granddaughter LouAnne King, works closely with her brother, David Fisher, to run the family operation that milks about 2,200, primarily Holsteins, and crops more than 4,500 acres.