Vermont

A Unique, Hands-On Approach to Training Tomorrow’s Dairy Veterinarians

Wed, 06 Aug 2025 19:34:28 GMT

Large animal veterinarians specializing in dairy have almost become the unicorns of the industry. In a space that is nearly dominated by small animal vets, finding young professionals interested in pursuing a dairy-focused practice has become increasingly rare. That’s why hands-on programs like the University of Vermont’s CREAM Program (Cooperative for Real Education in Agricultural Management), are playing a vital role in developing the next generation of dairy veterinarians.

Stephen Wadsworth, the current director of CREAM, brings more than four decades of dairy veterinary experience to the role. As a teacher for the Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, his background in private practice offers students a direct link between academic concepts and real-world applications in dairy herd management.

“The CREAM program was started in 1988 by an animal geneticist on faculty,” Wadsworth explains. “It’s a 60-cow tiestall, high-producing registered Holstein herd, currently averaging about 100 lb. per day, and it’s run almost exclusively by undergraduate animal science students, most of whom are pre-vet and have never even handled a dairy cow before.”

What began as a temporary teaching position in 2018 quickly became a full-time role that Wadsworth calls more rewarding than he ever expected. After four decades in a busy, six-person dairy practice in northwestern Vermont, he welcomed the opportunity to pass on his knowledge to those just entering the profession.

“Though I should be retired, it’s too much fun,” he says. “It’s been far more gratifying than I imagined.”

Beyond the Books: Learning by Doing
According to Wadsworth, the CREAM program offers more than just basic classroom learning. Students participate in every aspect of managing the university’s dairy herd, from milking and feeding to reproductive protocols and record-keeping. The immersive experience prepares them for future roles in veterinary school and beyond.

Currently, the program is divided into three core areas: academic instruction, work skill development, and community and personal growth.

“First, there’s lecture, about two and a half hours per week where I cover livestock medicine, herd health and management principles,” Wadsworth says. “Second is work skill development. Many of these students have never held jobs requiring punctuality or responsibility. So, they learn that when we say you have to be here at 3:30 a.m. for morning milking, it really means 3:20 a.m., or preferably 3:15 a.m. to set up the parlor.”

He adds that the third area, community and personal development, might be the most impactful.

“We talk about what it means to be a person of good character and how to work together in a group,” Wadsworth says, noting how the first few days learning how to operate a dairy is challenging for the students.

“You’ve got 20 students working together to milk 60 cows in a double-six parlor. Some days it’s like herding cats,” he laughs. “The first milking during the summer took seven hours, but now they’re down to an hour and a half. But in a few weeks, there’s this tight community and new friendships formed, and students leave the program saying it was the most transformative thing they’ve ever done in their life.”

While the program serves as a steppingstone for students applying to veterinary school, it often leads to a deeper transformation.

“Some students come in thinking this is just a box to check for their application,” Wadsworth says. “But many convert to being interested in a dairy practice. When they are accepted into vet school, many decide to pursue a career in dairy medicine as a result of their time here, which is gratifying beyond words.”

As the veterinary profession continues to evolve, programs like CREAM offer an essential on-ramp for students with little or no agricultural background.

“We know there isn’t necessarily a shortage of food animal veterinarians, but we do have geographic placement challenges,” Wadsworth says. “And fewer young people are growing up on farms. So, it’s vital to provide this kind of exposure to what dairy farming really looks like.”

That exposure includes full responsibility for the daily care of the UVM CREAM herd. Students handle all aspects of herd management, including milking three times per day as well as cleaning, feeding calves and administering medical treatments under guidance. Each student completes three to four chores weekly, one of which always includes the early morning milking. They’re also involved in calving, fresh cow and calf care, vaccinations and reproductive synchronization. Additionally, every student is assigned a specialty area and expected to keep the group informed on that topic throughout the program.

Wadsworth is careful to emphasize the skills students gain are universally applicable across herd sizes and management systems.

“If you understand the biology of a cow — the physiology of ketosis, reproduction and mastitis — those fundamentals apply whether you’re on a 60-cow tiestall or a 6,000-cow commercial dairy,” he says. “It may look different, but the principles are the same.”

To add to this experience, Wadsworth is currently organizing a six-farm tour for his students to further broaden their exposure to different dairy operations across northern Vermont.

“It gives them the opportunity to see firsthand how those principles scale and adapt,” he says. “The goal is to provide a strong foundation so they can walk into any herd and understand what’s happening.”

For students without previous large-animal experience, the smaller scale of the CREAM herd offers an ideal environment to build confidence and competence.

“You could argue that animal handling and husbandry are easier to learn in a 60-cow herd than a larger operation,” Wadsworth notes. “But here, they have more direct contact with the animals and more opportunities to take ownership of daily tasks. That kind of engagement really accelerates learning.”

For Wadsworth, transitioning from private practice to academia has brought a new and refreshing challenge.

“I feel privileged to be here,” he says. “Watching these students grow over the course of the program is something special.”

As the veterinary industry looks to the future, programs like CREAM are helping ensure the next generation of dairy veterinarians are equipped with knowledge, hands-on experience and respect for the work ahead.

To learn more about UVM’s CREAM Program, watch here:

The Sweetest States: Where America Loves Ice Cream Most

Tue, 01 Jul 2025 20:11:16 GMT

July is National Ice Cream Month, and Americans are indulging like never before. But which states truly have the biggest sweet tooth? Recent research from SpinBlitz analyzed Google Maps listings nationwide to rank states by ice cream shop density, specifically the number of ice cream shops per 100,000 residents. Here are the top states who take their frozen dairy treats most seriously.

Top 10 Ice Cream-Loving States

1. Vermont (18.51 shops per 100K residents) Vermont tops the list with the highest number of ice cream shops per capita, and it’s not just thanks to Ben & Jerry’s. The state has a strong dairy foundation and a deep appreciation for small-batch, locally made ice cream. Whether in rural towns or tourist-friendly spots, ice cream shops are a visible part of Vermont’s food culture.

2. West Virginia (18.08) West Virginia ranks second in ice cream shop density thanks to a strong presence of locally owned parlors, custard stands and small-town scoop shops. It might not be a headline-grabbing food destination, but the state has a steady, long-standing appreciation for traditional favorites like banana splits, hand-dipped cones and floats.

3. Rhode Island (17.84) Rhode Island earns bronze in the nation for ice cream shop density. Known for regional favorites like frozen lemonade and coffee milkshakes, the state also supports a strong network of ice cream parlors across its coastal towns and neighborhoods. From tourist areas to local main streets, frozen treats are easy to find.

4. Pennsylvania (17.58) Pennsylvania ranks fourth with a diverse ice cream scene that reflects its mix of communities. From family-run creameries in rural areas to innovative shops in urban centers, the state offers a wide range of frozen dessert options.

5. Wisconsin (16.44) Known far and wide for its cheese, Wisconsin also delivers big on ice cream. Known as the Dairy State, it’s no surprise the state is brimming with mom-and-pop scoop shops, custard stands and local brands producing rich ice cream. Whether you’re at a farmstead creamery or a college-town cone counter, Wisconsin’s pride for ice cream shines.

6. Illinois (16.12) Chicago might be the driving force behind Illinois’ ranking, with its booming food scene filled with Instagram-worthy sundaes, small-batch gelato and quirky flavors. But don’t overlook the rural towns and suburbs, where old-school diners and small-town scoop shops keep the classics alive.

7. New Mexico (15.89) The only Southwestern state to crack the top 10, New Mexico might surprise you. But with sizzling summer temperatures and a thriving local food culture, it makes sense frozen treats are in demand. You’ll find shops serving everything from chile-spiked chocolate to cactus fruit sorbet.

8. Michigan (15.79) Snow doesn’t stop Michiganders from indulging. With thousands of inland lakes and summer tourists flooding towns like Traverse City and Petoskey, ice cream is a lakeside staple. From old-fashioned scoops to cherry-studded blends, Michigan’s ice cream culture is powered by nostalgia, local ingredients and a serious sweet tooth.

9. New Hampshire (15.54) New England knows its dairy, and New Hampshire is no exception. This state might not be flashy, but its abundance of seasonal roadside stands, maple-infused flavors and mom-and-pop ice cream stops make it a solid contender. Summer drives through the mountains or along the lakes are rarely complete without a cone in hand.

10. New York (15.35) New York ranks 10^th, where ice cream is as diverse as the state itself. From trendy, creative scoop shops and food trucks in the heart of New York City to time-tested creameries in upstate towns, there’s a flavor and style for everyone. With tourists and locals alike lining up for their favorite cones, New York’s ice cream doesn’t disappoint.

See How Your State Stacks Up in the Ice Cream Race
Whether you’re craving a classic cone or something a little more adventurous, it’s clear that some states really know how to satisfy that ice cream craving. Curious how all 50 states stack up in the great ice cream showdown? Check out the full ranking and see where your home ranks:

Rank	State	Ice Cream Shops per 100,000 residents
1	Vermont	18.51
2	West Virginia	18.08
3	Rhode Island	17.84
4	Pennsylvania	17.58
5	Wisconsin	16.44
6	Illinois	16.12
7	New Mexico	15.89
8	Michigan	15.79
9	New Hampshire	15.54
10	New York	15.35
11	Massachusetts	14.99
12	North Dakota	14.92
13	Ohio	14.90
14	Maine	14.89
15	Nebraska	14.83
16	Alaska	14.79
17	Indiana	14.78
18	Idaho	14.27
19	Delaware	14.05
20	Montana	14.00
21	South Dakota	13.96
22	Hawaii	13.78
23	Florida	13.67
24	New Jersey	13.61
25	Wyoming	13.56
26	Mississippi	13.25
27	Iowa	13.02
28	North Carolina	12.58
29	Texas	12.40
30	Arkansas	12.23
31	California	12.10
32	Arizona	12.09
33	Kansas	11.71
34	Connecticut	11.60
35	Virginia	11.25
36	Oklahoma	10.66
37	Nevada	10.54
38	Utah	10.38
39	Minnesota	10.37
40	Oregon	10.37
41	Tennessee	10.26
42	Louisiana	10.20
43	Georgia	10.00
44	Colorado	9.98
45	Kentucky	9.73
46	Washington	9.43
47	Alabama	9.23
48	South Carolina	8.80
49	Maryland	8.56
50	Missouri	8.44

Track Star Dairy Farmer Sets New Race Record Just One Year After Giving Birth

Tue, 05 Mar 2024 17:38:59 GMT

Elle Purrier St. Pierre, a Vermont dairy farmer turned track star, has done it again. Just weeks after breaking her own record for the U.S. women’s indoor mile, Purrier St. Pierre won the women’s 3,000-meter race at the World Athletics Indoor Championship in Glasgow, Scotland.

Not only did Purrier St. Pierre win the race, but she also broke records for both the North American and championship times with her new event time of 8 minutes and 20.87 seconds, taking nearly 5 seconds off her personal best.

In 2020, Purrier St. Pierre finished 10th in the women’s 1,500-meter race at the Olympics in Tokyo in 2021. The Olympian has been training to compete in the 2024 season ever since she gave birth to her son, Ivan, almost one year ago to the day from her race in Scotland.

Purrier St. Pierre grew up on a 40-cow operation in Vermont, but never left the farm, as she and her husband still live on a dairy farm today. The runner married her high-school sweetheart, Jamie St. Pierre, and would compete against him at 4-H events growing up. Jamie studied dairy management at Cornell, is a dairy farmer, and works on his family’s dairy farm also located in Vermont.

For more industry news, read:

Organic Valley Added 84 Farms to its Membership in 2023

Fri, 29 Dec 2023 21:22:45 GMT

During a year full of farm consolidation, Organic Valley, the largest dairy cooperative of organic farmers in the nation, added an additional 84 farms to its membership in 2023.

“This is who we are,” says Shawna Nelson, Organic Valley executive vice president of membership. “Last year, we brought in farms that were abruptly dropped by their milk buyers, and this year, we’ve welcomed 84 more into our organic dairy community. Our commitment to organic family farmers is unwavering, and we aim to be the go-to option for those seeking a stable future in farming.”

According to the company, the cooperative welcomed:

26 farms from Pennsylvania
22 farms from New York
12 farms from Wisconsin
6 farms from Ohio

Several other farms from Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota and Vermont were welcomed as well.

“We can’t do this alone,” says Jaclyn Cardin, Organic Valley chief brand officer. “If you care about how your food is produced and who is producing it, we think we offer a lot. We want consumers to buy with both heart and head, knowing that Organic Valley products come from a place of integrity. Because we’re a farmer-owned cooperative, when you purchase our products, the farmers who dedicate themselves to caring for the land, the animals and their communities receive stable and farmer-determined compensation. We believe good food comes from good, small family farms.”

Looking ahead, Organic Valley plans to continue supporting small organic family farms in 2024.

For more industry news, read:

Owner of Prominent Vermont Dairy Farm Files for Bankruptcy

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 03:01:09 GMT

The owner of one of Vermont’s most prolific dairy farms has filed for bankruptcy protection.

The Burlington Free Press reports Michael LaClair, owner of the Nordic Farms dairy operation, filed last month. LaClair listed $2.1 million in debt.

LaClair purchased the Charlotte dairy operation from Clark Hinsdale III in February 2014. Hinsdale still owns the property the farm sits on.

The Vermont Economic Development Authority loaned LaClair $1 million through the Vermont Agricultural Creditor Corp. program. Hinsdale is also owed nearly $500,000. Other creditors include agricultural companies.

Nordic Farms was the first New England farm to use robotic milking machines. Hinsdale says the operation has suffered from low milk prices and longer industry downturns.

The Vermont Agricultural Mediation Program is now working with the farm to find a solution.

Vermont Dairy Farm Spins Manure to Take Out Phosphorus

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 02:59:25 GMT

One Vermont dairy farm is taking a novel approach to reducing polluted runoff in Lake Champlain by spinning its manure in a centrifuge to remove some of the phosphorus that has contributed to toxic algae blooms.

Machia and Sons Dairy LLC is believed to be the first farm in Vermont to use the technology for phosphorus removal after having it installed last year in a pilot project with Burlington-based Native Energy.

A screw press removes the solids from the manure that are then decomposed into bedding for the cows. The manure liquid is put through the centrifuge that rapidly spins it in a large canister to remove half of the phosphorus that then can be sold as a soil additive.

Phosphorus is a nutrient that comes from a number of sources including fertilizer and manure. An excess amount of it — in runoff from rain, snowmelt or erosion — feeds toxic algae blooms in the lake. The state says 40 percent of the phosphorus flowing into the lake comes from farms; the rest comes from roads, parking lots and discharges from municipal wastewater treatment plants.

In June, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released its final phosphorus reduction goals for the lake, calling for a decrease of 33.7 percent in the entire lake and 64.3 percent in Missisquoi Bay in the northern end of the lake, an area known in the state for its dairy farms.

Machia and Sons is one of the larger farms in Vermont, where 725 cows are milked. Like some other local farms, it has taken steps to reduce phosphorus runoff such as planting cover crops and expanding or adding vegetative buffer strips between fields and ditches. The effort is to help clean up the lake and to “keep us in farming, keep the community happy. At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about,” said Dustin Machia, one of the farmers.

The family business invested about $100,000 in the screw press and centrifuge project. The rest of the $525,000 cost is being covered by Native Energy, a seed grant from Green Mountain Power and the purchase of the expected reduction in greenhouse gases from the project by Ben & Jerry’s, according to Native Energy.

Now the Machias are seeking a market for the phosphorus.

Less than a handful of centrifuge manufacturers are working with the dairy manure market in the U.S., according to Josh Gable of manufacturer Centrisys, of Kenosha, Wisconsin, which currently has 10 installations of centrifuges processing dairy manure across North America. At least four installed in the last four years have the primary purpose of removing phosphorus, he said by email.

“Despite depressed milk prices we expect to add to our installation base for manure applications removing phosphorus ... this year as environmental pressures continue to be applied to dairymen in sensitive areas across the U.S.,” he said.

Vermont Dairy Farm of the Year Named

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 02:46:28 GMT

A Springfield farm has been named Vermont Dairy Farm of the Year.

The award has been presented to Dolloff Acres Farm by the University of Vermont Extension and the Vermont Dairy Industry Association in cooperation with the New England Green Pastures Program.

Mike and Heidi Dolloff’s operation milks 80 cows twice a day. The herd averages 24,000 pounds of milk with 4.3 percent butterfat and 3.2 percent protein, which officials say can be attributed to excellent herd management practices, quality feed and selective breeding.

The farm has earned numerous milk quality awards from the Dairy Farmers of America Cooperative and has received Vermont Dairy Herd Improvement Association awards for somatic cell counts in their milk and production.

Famous Farm Sells Last of its Prized Holsteins

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 02:46:17 GMT

A Vermont farm considered by some to be the “Mercedes” of the cattle world has sold the last of its famous Holsteins.

Lylehaven Farm in East Montpelier held a final auction Friday. The farm is also for sale.

Jerry Rappaport, 87, a Boston philanthropist and real estate developer, is getting out of the business of cattle breeding after more than 30 years.

“I got fascinated with the idea of breeding the perfect cow,” Rappaport told NECN .

Nearly a decade ago, Lylehaven sold a cow for more than $1 million.

On Friday, the cows went for several thousand to tens of thousands of dollars.

“They’re good quality cows,” said Adolf Langhout, who came from the Netherlands to attend the auction. “Lylehaven is recognized in breeding as like a Mercedes or Audi.”

Select Sires Reveals Cooperative Merger Creating Premier Select Sires

Thu, 12 Nov 2020 05:53:45 GMT

Combining forces, the Select Sire Power, Inc. and Southeast Select Sires, Inc. will officially become one and renamed Premier Select Sires, Inc. effective Jan. 1, 2019.

The same specialists who currently serve beef and dairy customers will continue to support their local member-owners, only as part of a larger team with a wider network of in-house support, according to Select Sires. Premier Select Sires will combine the territories of the two previous cooperatives, covering a total of 23 states.

These states include:

Maine
Vermont
Maryland
New Hampshire
Massachusetts
Delaware
Connecticut
New York
Pennsylvania
New Jersey
Rhode Island
West Virginia
Virginia
North Carolina
Florida
Kansas
Tennessee
Arkansas
Louisiana
Mississippi
Alabama
Georgia
And Washington DC

“Premier Select Sires is the result of combining two financially strong cooperatives in order to benefit both memberships with pooled resources. We look forward to working together to continue to be the Premier genetic provider,” said Tim Riley, General Manager of Southeast Select Sires, in a press release.

Because of an aligned set of strengths and goals, the boards of Select Sire Power and Southeast Select Sires unanimously approved the affiliation agreement.

“This is a very exciting time for both organizations and we look forward to charting a successful future together. The larger cooperative will allow us to provide greater diversity of products and services to meet the modern needs of beef and dairy producers throughout our territory,” said Mark Carpenter, General Manager of Select Sire Power and future CEO of Premier Select Sires.

This is not the first merger the company has experienced throughout the past two years. In June 2017, Select Sires and Accelerated Genetics announced that Select Sires would acquire the assets of Accelerated Genetics.

This news also comes after the announcement of the holding companies Alta Genetics and GENEX forming their new organization, URUS. The intent to merge Koepon Holding BV and Cooperative Resources International (CRI) was first announced last December. Included in the merger are the following companies: AgSource , Alta Genetics , GENEX , Jetstream Genetics , PEAK/GENESIS , SCCL and VAS .