By Anson Tebbetts - Vermont Secretary of Agriculture
The future of dairy was front and center in Albany in early April. We held the first Northeast Dairy Innovation Summit, organized by the Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center, hosted at the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets.
We welcomed over 200 people – farmers, processors, technical assistance providers, lenders, and folks from all parts of the dairy world. It was two days of learning and inspiration. The Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center has been a positive addition to regional dairy over the past four years. Some highlights include
- Made almost $30 million in critical investments to dairy farms, dairy processors, research, and technical assistance.
- This represents nearly 300 individual awards
- Built bridges across the region to better serve the dairy community
- Identified and responded to shared areas of need to lift up the region.
- Invested in new technologies, research and development, and alternative strategies to provide opportunities to learn and model success beyond the grant project
- Developed national collaborations with the other Dairy Business Innovation Initiatives located in California, Wisconsin, and Tennessee, who were in attendance
We know it’s a rugged dairy economy and the federal pricing system is not returning enough dollars to farmers. We are working with our federal partners on change.
Dairy is a tradition across our region, from the rolling hills of Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine, to the pastoral landscapes of Pennsylvania, Maryland, and New York. We all know that times are changing, and dairy has had a rough few years – from low prices, to inflation, to floods and feed shortages, dairy is no stranger to hard times.
The Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center gives us all an opportunity to see and work towards a brighter, more positive future. The investments made today will yield dividends for years to come. The partnerships and relationships developed bring people together in new, thoughtful ways, working to answer some of the toughest questions.
We heard from farmers and processors in dairy. From small farm innovation to packaging innovation, from grazing to workforce, we covered a lot of ground at the conference. We heard from a panel on bringing more people into the dairy world. We were also joined by commissioners from the region including New York, Maine, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. They are strong partners as we work together to improve the dairy economy in the Northeast.
Thank you to all who attended and those working behind the scenes. They asked questions, dug deep, and used the conference time to forge new connections as we move into the next decade of dairy. We were inspired to create change.
Anson Tebbetts
Secretary