Britton Farm

Nov 4, 2010

Being your own boss is a pretty great way to make a living, and doing it with your family, even better!  By the looks of it, from our visit to Britton dairy farm last week, it seems like the Britton family are doing just that with their family run dairy farm in Walpole, NH. Alfred Britton and his son Larry Britton are second and third generation dairy farmers,  and when Larry’s son (a wee lad) grows up (even just a bit) he will most likely become the fourth generation of Brittons to farm. Alfred and Larry farm together and make for good neighbors, with a mere 2-3 minute drive down a two-lane road between homesteads (Alfred and his wife live across the street from the farm and Larry and his family live up the road alongside some of the 550 acres the farms).

Running a dairy farm is tough, at least the Brittons (like many other family farmers) are there for each other. There is a certain beauty in generations of families helping each other, working side by side, even as they struggle. That word “struggle” may be too strong, but it comes to mind when one thinks of all the roadblocks the average dairy farmer has to work around every day. This is physical work, but also mental. In addition to all the feeding, milking, barn cleaning, and growing of corn and hay, middle of the night vet calls (or when the vet is unavailable doing what it takes to keep the cow alive and comfortable until the vet can arrive), and so forth…there are the hours of organizing bills, payments, repairing fences, fixing broken equipment, harvesting crops, and nourishing the fields with nutrients (manure).

At the end of the day there is family and pride. The Brittons like other dairy farmers are responsible for the milk, butter, yogurt, and cheese in our refrigerators and many of the dishes on our dining tables with a dairy item as an ingredient.  Just as families support each other, so must communities. What was the phrase “it takes a village…”

By purchasing New England made dairy products you help protect farms like the Britton’s and ensure more families have the opportunity to build on this most important way of life.