Written by David Mclellan, Daily Hampshire Gazette
September 28, 2017
HADLEY — Pick up a gallon of milk at a New England grocery store, and its contents are pretty much guaranteed to be locally made. Whether the label advertises a big company’s name or a family-owned farm, the dairy farmer who has provided that milk is relatively close by.
“All the milk bought in New England is less than a day away from where it comes from,” said Darryl Williams, a 12th-generation farmer, who runs Luther Belden Farm in Hatfield.
Thursday morning, dairy farmers from three Pioneer Valley farms gathered to talk about the distinctly local nature of the milk industry, as well as some of the problems farmers face.