Stepping into the future, holding onto what matters

Change is inevitable in agriculture, but your operation can find success on the other side. The secret? Intentional strategy – not reactive moments.

This was the key takeaway from a roundtable presentation at the 2026 Northeast Dairy Innovation Summit, reflected in the personal experiences of three Vermont-based farmers and producers: Jackson Ransom (the Strafford Organic Creamery and Rock Bottom Farm, Strafford), Seth Leach (Woodlawn Farmstead, Pawlet) and Kylie Chittenden (Richville Farms, Shoreham).

Ransom is a third-generation farmer and herd manager for Rock Bottom Farm, which started in 1967 when his grandfather Woody purchased the once-abandoned property for $45/acre. Woody spent much of the next decade restoring the property to functionality – working from no useable farmland in ’67 to the roughly 200 tillable acres the property boasts today. Woody also established the farm’s Guernsey herd in the ‘60s, valuing the breed for their high fat content and other quality components.

In the ‘90s, the farm transitioned to Woody’s son, Earl. Renting the property from his father, Earl established himself with an updated 30-cow tie-stall setup and certifying the farm organic the same year. Months after completing the process, their cooperative was purchased by Horizon Organic. The Ransoms opted not to make the move to Horizon – and the Strafford Organic Creamery was born.

Jackson stepped into his current role after graduating college in 2023. He expanded the herd to 80 animals while focusing on technological efficiency to offset limited labor possibilities.

Strafford’s niche market is “high fat, simple products,” he said. “Fluid milk, ice cream … an ingredient list as short as possible. We’re going to know everything that is in the product and we want our customers to have that peace of mind too.”

To get those strong content margins, their milking operation needs to be as efficient as possible.

In 2022, they installed a used double-12 herringbone rapid-exit parlor, increasing the milking capacity from between 24 to 30 animals/hour to roughly 100. In 2024, they upgraded their herd monitoring system to CowManager Pro, supported by a microgrant from the Livestock Conservancy. The new system offers better heat detection and an excellent overall health monitoring system.

When feeding challenges arose from the increased milking capacity, Ransom opted for two robot grain feeders, purchased used with a UVM Extension grant and paid back roughly eight months after installation. The new system enables precision feeding and exact nutrition for each animal by scanning their unique ear tag.

For Woodlawn Farmstead, roots go even deeper. The Leach family has called Vermont’s Mettawee Valley home for almost 200 years. Seven generations of their family have operated the now 120 Holstein dairy. Since stepping into active management of Woodlawn in 2015, Seth has diversified, adding Wagyu beef, the farm store and selling milk through the Agri-Mark cooperative to Vermont’s artisan cheesemakers. In 2024, he added his own line of cheese to Woodlawn’s offerings, utilizing his own truck and wash bay system to buy milk from Agri Mark, leasing a facility and hiring a cheesemaker to lead the venture. He is working on making Woodlawn Farmstead more vertically integrated. “Diversification is great, but it pulls your attention in many directions,” he said. “It cannot pull from the dairy herd. They are the backbone of the operation and we need that milk.”

The existing parlor needed work to do that. Last renovated in 1995, the current model was a Germania Legacy Style herringbone double, with no milk meters, a surge-style receiver and a low line with 5/8-inch nipples. The walls were 3/8-inch plywood-backed washboard; the ceiling was corrugated fiberglass paneling, with fiberglass insulation. Some of the original construction dated back to 1973.

Through an NE-DBIC grant, they were able to renovate, installing 12 Afimilk MPC meters, a new lowline with three-quarter-inch welded nipples, a new receiver assembly with a VFD milk transfer pump. They also incorporated smart sensor rumination collars for the herd. All of the work was done in stages to keep things accessible.

The result was more structurally sound, cleaner and brighter. The new system created greater operational efficiency for the milking parlor and allowed for faster milking time for the Woodlawn team. The new system reduced reproductive inputs and allowed for much more proactive responses while monitoring the herd – fewer missed heats and higher pregnancy rates.

Chittenden and her family operate the over 1,000-cow Richville Farms property in Whiting. The farm also boasts a sugaring operation and world-famous Brown Swiss genetics program.

The team has focused on grants that will support the farm’s core focus areas. These grant opportunities have covered projects from water quality improvements to the installation of an NIR manure pit system to the expansion of heifer housing and technological acquisitions like shifting their herd monitoring from SCR collars to DairyComp 305 equipment and purchasing an ultrasound machine and feed software.

Some additional marketing and business development opportunities – like various trade show grants – have helped the farm put a promotional foot forward in the game. It’s paid its dividends. Chittenden noted opportunities to mentor kids and younger professionals in groups like 4-H and getting involved in the international market, exporting embryos to buyers in locales like Dubai, Colombia and France, to name a few.

All three farms illustrated the importance of having a long-term business plan instead of reactive market changes. Industry tech solutions can buoy labor limitations. Grants and similar funding are massive asset to producers, playing a critical role in the modernization of each farm. But remember that “bigger” doesn’t necessarily always mean “more cows.”

That 80-cow dairy can reach your state lines and beyond, feeding customers you’ve never dreamed of reaching before. Lean into efficiency, continue to do what your farm does best and take that big step into the future.

Learn about the farms at straffordcreamery.com, woodlawnfarmstead.com and tinyurl.com/46ahb3tf.

by Andy Haman