In 2001, there were 58 licensed milk processing facilities in Vermont, according to the Agency of Agriculture. Such facilities take fluid milk and process it into products such as cheese, yogurt or ice cream.
In 2011, Vermont had 79 milk processing facilities — an increase of 36 percent. Of the 79 facilities, 28 are off-farm processing plants (such as Cabot and Ben & Jerry’s) and 51 are on-farm facilities.
Diane Bothfeld, who grew up on a dairy farm in central Vermont, is deputy secretary for dairy policy for the state’s agency of agriculture. She attributes the growth in cheese making to several factors:
• A market driven by people’s desire to know where their food comes from and who’s producing it;
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