Agri-tourism and direct-to-consumer sales are economic development strategies with limited benefits for dairy farmers. Most of Hartford's farms are dairies and few have diversified into other agricultural sectors. The primary concern for these farms is to find a way to increase the profitability of milk.
Hartford's Agriculture and Farmland Protection Planning Committee is exploring options available to dairy farmers both to lower production costs and increase the price they are paid for the milk they produce.
Options that could be explored include value-added products (cheese, butter, yogurt, ice cream), organic milk and milk products, local milk co-operatives or a creamery. As farmers cannot control the price of their product, they can look for ways to reduce production costs (ex. energy efficiency or using/providing contract work) to increase profitability. Looking for more information and ideas? Check out the resources listed under the "Dairy" heading on the left-hand side of this page.
Comments
Login to post comments on this section.
Draft Ag Plan
0 Comments