A Brief History of the Vermont Dairy Industry

The first cows came to New England by way of Plymouth Colony in the seventeenth century. Many of the European settlers who came to Vermont brought cows with them. Originally, farms were primarily small, producing just enough for a family and perhaps some extra to trade in larger towns for goods not available on the farm. A family might have one or two cows to milk, to help plow fields, and for transportation, along with chickens, a couple of pigs, or some sheep.

As textile mills opened in New England cities, Vermont farmers began to raise sheep for wool in the mid 1800’s. Sheep from Merino, Spain, were imported to satisfy the developing market. Farmers sent their wool by wagon and by railway to larger cities. By the 1870’s, however, Vermont farmers faced increasing competition from the new western territories that had bigger farms and cheaper prices.

At the same time that the wool industry was declining, the butter industry was expanding. Butter had been a product of Vermont farms for decades, made mostly for family use. Butter churning was labor intensive and it was not until the Franklin County Creamery in St. Albans, Vermont, built a centralized butter-making factory that butter became a profitable enterprise for many farmers. The next year, in 1881, the Maine Central Railway began refrigerated railroad service to Boston, opening up a new market for Vermont agriculture. Farmers imported breeds of cows that were known for their high milk production and not necessarily for their work in the field. During this time, until the early 1900’s, Jerseys were the most popular cows in Vermont because of their milk’s high butterfat content.

New technologies made it easier for farmers who could afford to expand to produce more milk. The gasoline-powered tractor was invented in the 1890’s, changing farming significantly. The first vacuum-type milking machine was patented in 1865 and another machine that was powered by foot or hand pedals began to gain acceptance in the early 1890’s. The De Laval Milker, much more practical than its earlier counterparts, became the first widely used milking machine in 1918.

Other technologies made milk stay fresh longer. Better refrigeration and transportation increased the distance that fluid milk could go before it spoiled. By the 1920’s, Vermont was the leading supplier of fluid milk to Boston. The processes of homogenization and pasteurization improved the quality and consumer confidence of fluid milk. In 1939, about a quarter of all milk sold in Vermont was pasteurized. By 1952, nearly all of it was.

In 1952, the first bulk tank was installed in Vermont. Bulk tanks allowed farmers to keep their milk cool on site while awaiting pickup by a larger milk truck. Within ten years, almost all dairy farms had bulk tanks. Meanwhile, the industry was consolidating; many small farms went out of business. At the same time, larger farms and those farms willing and able to invest in new technology grew. Fewer milk producers remained, but those that did, produced more milk.
"Times have changed," as some might say. But, the Vermont dairy industry has always been one of change and transition. It will continue to evolve in the 21st century.