By Madison Berry, Agricultural Development Specialist
Rising costs, labor shortages, aging infrastructure, and mouths to feed – it’s a familiar story for any dairy farmer right now.
Harrison’s Homegrown, a 190-cow operation in the rolling hills of Addison, VT, saw those challenges and decided it was time for change.
Patrick and Melanie Harrison have been farming in Vermont since they moved their cows from Pennsylvania to the heart of Vermont dairy country in 2008. After shifting to organic in 2012, they took advantage of their ample grass pastures by transitioning from Holsteins to Jerseys. They have made infrastructure improvements across the farm, from new barns to improved fencing.
Even with regular investments and a focus on efficiency, one pain point at the center of their farm slowed things down: an aging double-4 herringbone milking parlor built in 1979. Requiring two workers and nine hours of milking a day, it wasn’t sustainable for the size and goals of their operation.
They began planning an upgrade in 2020 but decided to hold off when COVID created supply chain and dairy market uncertainties. Then, in 2024, the Harrisons were awarded a $60,906 NE-DBIC Dairy Farm Improvement & Modernization Grant and made a leap they’d been dreaming of for years.
“We’re so excited,” said Melanie at a recent site visit. “This grant let us finally make the change.”
Prior to applying, Harrison’s Homegrown had joined a NE-DBIC-funded learning cohort through the American Farmland Trust. This cohort aligned with the focus on business systems and structure, quality of life, and farm-level profitability.
The new double-7 parabone milking parlor, constructed on the same small footprint as the old one, helped them reach all of these goals. With the new system in place, total milking hours are reduced by over 30% with only one operator required. New automatic take-offs have reduced repetitive stress for milkers while improving udder health for the 100 to 180 cows being milked each day.
And faster milking times means more grazing and resting for happier, healthier cows. Their cows now average over seven more pounds of milk per day with somatic cell counts decreasing.
These improvements have made a major impact on their cashflow.
Savings on labor and electricity totaled over $70,000, and they were up $33,000 in first quarter revenue over 2024. Just as importantly, they have also improved quality of life – for workers and for the farmers.
“Our old setup was socially unsustainable, for both us and our employees. The milking shifts were too long, so employees got burned out and that leads to turnover,” Melanie explains. Though Harrison’s Homegrown engages heavily with local 4H groups and apprenticeship programs to grow the pool of future dairy workers, labor shortages and the time to train have hit them, too.
“Patrick was spending an average of seven hours a day in the milking parlor himself. As business owners, we need to have more time for management-level tasks.”
After half a year of using the new system, the improvements are tangible for the Harrisons. “This project means we can continue to grow by producing larger volumes of higher quality milk, with fewer inputs,” Melanie says. “It also frees up precious resources of time and money to reinvest in our business, to improve resilience and long-term viability.”
If you’re looking for funding for your farm, consider applying to the Dairy Farm Improvement & Modernization Grant. This grant is open again October 14 through December 4, 2025 at 2pm.
