1880s to Early 1990s: Championship Dairy Stock
Vermont became known for its championship dairy stock. Though some farmers kept Holstein and Ayrshire herds, the Jersey breed pre-dominated in Vermont because of their high levels of butter fat in their milk, which was desired for making butter. A Jersey herd from West Randolph won first prize for its butter at the Paris Exposition in 1890 and again at the World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893. The state’s first butter factory was the North River Creamery in Jacksonville, Vermont, started in 1886. The Franklin County Creamery Association in St. Albans was rated as the world’s largest butter factory, making 25,000 pounds of butter a day.
