On a wet spring morning, a tour bus filled with sleepy Boston University students ambled north to Winchendon, Mass., for a tour of Dave Smith’s dairy farm and cheese-making facility, Smith’s Country Cheese, Inc.. Their goal was to see cattle, witness cheese being made, and—of course—eat their weight in gouda.
These dairy trippers are among a growing group of agritourists and locavores interested in sustainability and supporting local farms. Smith has seen increased traffic to his farm, retail store, and gift shop since the recession hit, with gas prices spiking and the cost of food increasing.
“People want to know where their food comes from, whether it’s organic or conventionally grown,” Smith says. “The answer is, know your source.”
And that’s why the group of BU students interested in local food and sustainability trekked nearly 70 miles northwest of Boston to Smith’s farm. Milk from his Holstein herd is sent to Agri-Mark, which merged with Cabot Creamery and markets milk to processors such as Hood, Garelick Farms, and Oakhurst Dairy. Cabot cheeses, butter, and sour cream and Hood’s single-serving milk containers are used in University dining halls and catering services or sold in on-campus retail stores.
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