Dairying in Massachusetts

My third stop on my spring tour of the eastern U.S. was the George and Christina Hunt dairy in Orange, Massachusetts.

Driving through northeastern New York just below the Catskill mountains and into Massachusetts reveals a lot of beautiful scenery. The highways were all bordered by trees or houses — but no working farms. As I was driving into the Hunt farm, I saw the first cornfield in 150 miles.

I was greeted by George and Cristina’s children and extended family because it was Easter Sunday. They served a delicious meal, and I learned the history of how George acquired this large cabin on the lake; the previous owner was an airline employee who had purchased the 40 acres from the Union Twist Drilling Company. The land consists of a 20-acre lake, the cabin, a tennis court, a softball diamond and other playthings for kids. It happened to be located next to George’s sandpit, used for cow bedding.

Their lake is part of the Metropolitan Water District of Boston, an area of about 200 square miles. In the 1920s, the city of Boston proclaimed eminent domain on the largest tributary to the Swift River and forced five small towns and their nearby farmers to evacuate. They then dammed the river and created the freshwater source used exclusively by the city of Boston and surrounding communities.

George and Cristina’s farm, located within the town of Orange, was started in 1879 by George’s great-great-grandfather, a Civil War veteran. By the 1930s, it was one of the most progressive farms in New England, with George’s grandfather building a state-of-the-art barn. He bought and sold a lot of cattle and worked as a butcher, a lucrative occupation in the late 30s and World War II. However, he passed away shortly after 40, and they were unable to compete as government regulations tightened.

The Hunt farm consists of 160 milk cows and 120 heifers. They are able to produce enough feed for their herd. A Massachusetts state law called Chapter 61A requires dairy farmers and other agricultural businesses to register their income with the state as soon as possible after Jan. 1 to prove they make their living from farming.

This law has limits on how much agricultural land can be assessed. Poor pasture land might be assessed at $900 per acre, and good quality tillable land may be assessed at $2000 per acre. George’s current land tax, without any credits, is $17 per $1000 of valuation. Without this law, his tax evaluation is based off the potential to sell building lots off of a road frontage besides the value of the land, which the state values at $78,000 per lot. In reality, most building lots go much higher.

It is almost impossible for any farmer to buy agricultural land in Massachusetts without purchasing Agricultural Development Rights from the state. That allows the state to put a rider on the deed, so the land will be in agriculture in perpetuity. Those rights are usually valued around $12-$15,000 per acre. Then, if you are a farmer and want to buy this land, you will pay another $12-$15,000 per acre; however, there is very little open land remaining in the state.

Hunt farm milk is delivered to a cheese plant in Providence, Rhode Island. Shipping cost are quite high; last year, the Hunts shipped 3.3 million pounds of milk and paid over $50,000 to transport it.

The total number of dairies in Massachusetts is approximately 100. With so few dairies, their biggest problem is milk production support. Ten years ago, George bought a reconditioned John Deere 5830 self-propelled chopper from Minnesota; it’s a relatively simple, non-computerized machine, but if George calls a local John Deere dealer to repair something on it,  the technician usually knows more about repairing a lawnmower than a self-propelled chopper. So, George gets his parts from Pennsylvania and services his own machines.

George’s milking equipment is mostly DeLaval with a service man who lives in Vermont. To prevent a catastrophe, George has vacuum pump and pump over motor backups, and he keeps supplies on hand to fix the systems himself.

Cristina‘s father was in the Massachusetts state legislature until 1980, when the state budget exceeded $1 billion. He was appalled. Today, the budget is $62 billion. George calls it a tax and spend state. Another state law created a 2.5% limit on the increase in taxes each year; municipalities and school districts apply for increased rates every year, and their taxes keep growing.

About 20 years ago, 100 dairymen formed the Massachusetts Association of Dairy Farmers, assessing a $5-per-cow annual fee. One of the first significant bills passed after the association was formed was the Massachusetts Dairy Farmer’s Tax Credit law, creating a pool with state funds to be divided up to all dairy farmers according to milk production. After Jan. 1, each dairy farm must have their milk handler supply the total number of pounds they produced in a year to the state. In 2025, each dairy farmer received $4.51 per 100 pounds of milk produced; the state takes their share for income tax out before the check is delivered to the farmer.

Without this support, most Massachusetts dairies would be gone today. There are also grants available for farmers to purchase specific machines to improve their efficiency, provided the farmer proves there is a need on their farm.

The MADF is an important lobbying group for farmers. A few years after its formation, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals was able to get a state ballot referendum to prohibit calf hutches. With MADF and Farm Bureau publicity, the referendum was defeated. The small dairy states like Massachusetts understand what anti-agricultural groups are attempting to do and hope a state with a very small agricultural population will pass rules they will later attempt to pass in largely agricultural states.

George emphasizes the value of MADF. Even though it is small, it will contribute to the politicians who help the farmers and prevent poor legislation.