NORTH BROOKFIELD, Mass. — In celebration of Governor Charlie Baker’s declaration of June as “Massachusetts Dairy Month,” Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) Commissioner John Lebeaux, Assistant Commissioner Ashley Randle, local officials, and representatives from the Massachusetts Dairy Promotion Board toured dairy farms throughout Central and Western Massachusetts in an effort to raise awareness for the Commonwealth’s many dairy farmers and encourage Massachusetts residents to purchase locally-produced dairy products.
“The Commonwealth’s dairy industry contributes $45 million to the state economy, and is essential to the vitality and diversity of Massachusetts agriculture,” said Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources Commissioner Lebeaux. “Dairy farmers across Massachusetts produce some of the freshest, nutritious, wholesome milk that is used to make many value-added products, which we all enjoy, including cheese, yogurt, ice cream and butter.”
The tour included a stop at Hanson’s Dairy Farm in North Brookfield, where Commissioner Lebeaux walked through their barns and learned more about their 60-cow herd. Situated on 220 acres, Hanson Dairy Farm is a fifth generation dairy and a member of the Agri-Mark Cooperative. Other visits included Hunt Dairy Farm in Orange and Bree-Z Knoll in Leyden. Assistant Commissioner Ashley Randle also toured dairy farms on the North Shore including Richardson’s Ice Cream in Middleton and Appleton Farm in South Middleton.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture’s 2017 Agriculture Census, the Commonwealth is home to 115 dairy farms situated on a total of 49,744 acres of farmland. In Massachusetts, the dairy industry contributed approximately $45 million to the state’s local economy, and produced roughly 201 million pounds of fresh, nutritious, wholesome milk a year which is used to make many value-added products like cheese, yogurt, ice cream, and butter.
–Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources
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