Family farm swaps cows for goats amid changed dairy industry

Two brothers operating their family’s dairy farm in Vermont have made the drastic decision to give up hundreds of cows for goats

HYDE PARK, Vt. -- Grappling with a changed industry, two brothers operating their family's dairy farm in Vermont have made the drastic decision to give up hundreds of cows for goats. The Jones family, which had raised cows for 150 years at Joneslan Farm, houses about 1,000 goats in their barn that remains adorned with painted cut-outs of dairy cattle. Fluctuating milk prices paid to dairy cow farmers and rising costs have driven some small family farms to go big or out of business — or get creative like brothers Brian and Steven. The Jones brothers finished constructing their nanny-milking parlor and delivered their first goat milk earlier this year to Land O’ Lakes-owned Vermont Creamery, to be used for cheese-making. They plan to milk 1,200 to 1,500 dairy goats within two years.