FRANKLIN — In late May, a letter landed in the barns of 19 regional dairy farms with no warning and no recourse. It came from Worcester Creameries, operator of Mountaide Farm in Roxbury, which had quietly decided to abandon its long-time milk suppliers. The message was brief. The impact was profound.
“It is with great sorrow that we must inform you…” the letter began, severing decades-long partnerships with family-run farms like Valley Hill Dairy and Sitts Co. Farm without explanation. “No reason. No advance warning. Just a deadline,” said Garrett Sitts previously, whose Franklin farm has shipped milk to Worcester since 2007.
For weeks, the future of these operations hung in the balance — cows still needed milking, and the buyer was slated to discontinue purchasing the milk in late June. It was a roller coaster and farmers had options: dump the milk, find someone else to buy it or go out of business.
Then, a turnaround. On Saturday, June 14, Sitts confirmed that all impacted farms had secured a new buyer. Most—including Sitts and David Grantowner of Valley Hill Dairy—are now shipping to Clover Farms Dairy in Reading, Pennsylvania.
“The beauty of it is they kept the hauler, and they kept the field sanitation inspector,” said Sitts. “There’s not a sure thing anymore in this world, but I get to milk another day.” He called the new partners “nice, genuine people,” and added, “I think this is a long-term partnership.”
Clover Farms Dairy currently sources milk from 148 family-run farms — 147 in Pennsylvania and one in New Jersey. Beginning June 30, the company will begin picking up from seven additional farms in Delaware County, expanding its New York presence to nine.
“We’re committed to them long term,” said Brian Ohlinger, Clover Farms’ general manager and director of sales. “We have a gentlemen’s agreement to market their milk.”
Much of that milk is destined for institutional contracts in the region, including New York City public schools and clients who require New York State-produced milk. Clover Farms had previously fulfilled those contracts through a co-op, Ohlinger said, but saw the need for a more direct and reliable supply chain.
“We’ve been buying New York milk through co-ops, but we felt it was important to secure our own supply and make a real commitment to these farmers,” he said.
Ohlinger acknowledged the broader challenges facing the dairy industry, citing reduced consumer demand for traditional milk. Still, he expressed cautious optimism.
“We need people to drink milk — that’s for sure. The industry is in decline, but more folks are starting to recognize the health benefits of dairy,” he said. “I think the dairy industry is poised for a comeback.”
DelCo Fair Finds Buyer
Even the Delaware County Fair, which faced the prospect of dumping an estimated $5,000 worth of exhibitor milk after Mountainside Farm pulled out, was spared. Lactalis, the global dairy company with a plant in Walton, stepped in.
“We reached out to Lactalis and they are the rock star in this story,” said Jason Craig, president of the Delaware County Fair Board. “The staff at the Walton plant made it happen.”
Craig also credited Husted Trucking for ensuring the milk gets from the fairgrounds to the plant. “It truly takes an army to put on a successful event, and I’m lucky to be surrounded by some of the best,” he said.
For Grant, the save is more than financial. Valley Hill Dairy milks 280 cows and raises over 200 heifers and calves—livelihoods that span generations. “In my humble opinion, Clover Farms deserves praise,” he said. “They took us when no one needed extra milk—but soon will.”
Prices have changed only slightly, Sitts noted. “Pennies.”
The point, he said, is continuity: “If I’m treated good, I’m not one to jump around. I’m pretty loyal.”
New York Dairy Data
New York is churning out milk like never before — more than 16 billion pounds a year from over 3,000 dairy farms. But behind those numbers is a less creamy reality: small family-run farms are disappearing.
As big farms get bigger and milk yields rise, smaller operations are being squeezed out. Economic pressure, volatile markets, and shrinking access to buyers are forcing many to either scale up or shut down.
In January 2025 alone, New York produced 1.36 billion pounds of milk — a 2% jump from the year before — even though the number of cows held steady at 630,000. That increase comes from efficiency, not expansion.
But consolidation comes at a cost. Fewer local processing plants and shifts in how milk is bought and sold mean many smaller farms have nowhere to send their product. It’s a system optimized for volume — not community sustainability.
However, with dogged determination, grit and cautious optimism, Delaware County dairy farmers secured a lifeline, forging new partnerships that may help sustain their herds and heritage.
