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View From 116 State Street

Dairy Summit Delivers

Innovation, change, and resiliency were just a few of the themes at the recent Northern Tier Dairy Summit held April 1st and 2nd at Jay Peak Resort in Jay, Vermont.  More than 260 people attended from New York, Wisconsin, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Vermont.  It was great to have more than 115 dairy farmers participating, offering their perspective as we try to change the direction of the dairy economy.  Here are some thoughts from a few of those who attended the two-day summit.

Henry Pearl – Hill View Farm – Danville

“I always feel that it’s a little reinvigorating, if you will, to go to these things… at home, on the farm you can kind of be bummed out about milk prices and the way things are going, but it kind of gives you a little second wind and it makes me excited – the energy – you know there’s a lot of people that want to make this work – and I think that in itself may be the cure.”

Zach Ward – Grasslands Dairy Farms – New Zealand

“Dairy farming as a lifestyle is a terrible business, but dairy farming as a business is a great lifestyle, so it’s about getting the drivers in the right order, run it as a business and it will drive the lifestyle that you want, but if you come at it from a lifestyle angle first, evidently you’ll be compromising the business principals and they will lead to a lot of pain down the road.”

Mary Whiteowns a 220 head dairy farm in Corinth and is Vermont Farm Bureau secretary

“I think a big take away as a young farmer is where the future of farming is going within our country, looking at international markets, and the conversations that we’ve been having here from people from all over the world  have been great to show the positivity  and that we actually do have a future farming here in Vermont.”

Laura Ginsburg - Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets

“We are really excited about using this (Summit) as a springboard for opportunities and next steps. There’s going to be many, many great ideas and bold ideas that rise to the top and that’s our work next… to come up with some next steps that are actionable, smart, timely and relevant to the discussions that were had here.”

We will continue our efforts to work with federal officials towards changing how farmers are paid for their milk. We heard from many of you that this is an important effort.  But we will also advance suggestions from participants at the Summit to improve the economic landscape for dairy. As we review these ideas, we will develop next steps, and bring those to you in the coming days.  Our mission is to build on what we learned at the Summit and follow through with actionable plans. We owe this to our dairy farmers and Vermont. Thanks to all those who gave their time, energy and expertise to this summit. We will keep pushing the cart in the same direction.

Anson Tebbetts, Secretary, Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets