Vermont dairy update: fewer farms but stable production; Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center expands processor and farm grants

Laura Ginsberg, dairy strategy and innovation manager at the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets, told the Agriculture Committee on Thursday, Jan. 23 that Vermont has fewer dairy farms than a decade ago but that milk production has been relatively stable and the number of processors is increasing.

"Vermont is the most reliant on a single commodity more so than any other state, and that is dairy," Ginsberg said, describing the economic centrality of dairy to Vermont agriculture and the statewide economy.

Ginsberg provided county and species breakdowns for December 2024 and said some apparent month‑to‑month losses were data cleanup rather than actual farm closures. She said Addison and Franklin counties remain the largest dairy-producing counties and that Vermont processes a substantial share of its milk but still ships much product out of state because local demand is smaller than production.

Key statistics and trends

Ginsberg said the state has seen a long-term decline in the number of dairy farms while…