Vermont agriculture agency says dairy now a $5.4 billion sector, highlights processing growth and labor strain

Anson Tebbetts, secretary of the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets, presented a new report, Vermont Dairy Delivers, to the Vermont Senate Committee on Agriculture on April 25, saying the state’s dairy sector now contributes $5,400,000,000 to Vermont’s economy.

The report, Tebbetts told senators, traces a decade of change in Vermont’s dairy industry — rising processor numbers, increased exports and renewed focus on environmental practices — while flagging ongoing pressure from the federal pricing system, extreme weather and labor shortages.

Tebbetts said the report tracks a jump in dairy processors from 95 a decade ago to 158 in 2023, and cites national consumption at about 61 pounds of dairy per person in 2023. “Dairy does deliver,” Tebbetts said, summarizing the report’s central finding. He described growth in value-added products — cheese, butter, yogurt and ice cream — and said Vermont exports dairy products to Canada, Europe and Australia.

The nut graf: Committee members said the figures underline dairy’s economic role in…