Agriculture & Farming in Franklin County
- Dec 31, 2025
- 3 min read
Updated: Jan 26
Before the railroad turned St. Albans into an industrial hub in the 1850s, this was agricultural land. Franklin County is Vermont's dairy capital, with the highest concentration of dairy farms in the state. This isn't a recent development, as dairy farming has defined this region for over 150 years. The railroad brought industry and commerce, but the farming never stopped.
In the 1890s, the Franklin County Creamery Association in St. Albans was the world's largest butter factory, producing 25,000 pounds of butter daily. By 1850, St. Albans had established itself as the butter capital, with up to 300 teams of horse-drawn wagons arriving on market days loaded with butter and cheese from farms across the region.
Today, that dairy heritage continues. Drive through Franklin County and you'll see working dairy farms, many of them multi-generational operations that have adapted to modern times while maintaining their commitment to quality milk production. Many of those farms now welcome visitors, giving folks an inside look at the dairy producing world.
Dairy Farms & Cheese Production
Franklin County remains dairy country. Working dairy farms operate throughout the area, and some offer tours and cheese production demonstrations.
Farmstead Cheese
Several Franklin County farms have added cheese-making operations, allowing visitors to see how milk becomes cheese and taste the results.
Boston Post Dairy in Enosburg Falls makes award-winning goat and cow's milk cheeses, including their popular Eleven Brothers Cheese. The Gervais family has been farming in Vermont since 1962, and in 2010 they added a cheese-making facility with viewing windows so visitors can watch the process. Their farm store also sells homemade goat milk soaps, maple syrup, and bakery items. The Missisquoi Valley Rail Trail runs right behind the property.
Stony Pond Farm in Fairfield is a certified organic operation run by Tyler and Melanie Webb. Their Jersey cow herd produces milk primarily for Organic Valley, but Melanie makes small-batch farmstead cheeses including Swallow Tail Tomme and Tom-Tom (a camembert-style cheese). They only make cheese from May through December when the cows are on pasture.
Both farms operate stores where you can purchase their products directly. Farm tours show the work involved in dairy farming and cheese production.
Maple Sugaring Operations
Vermont is a major maple syrup producer, and Franklin County contributes to that production. Maple season runs late February through April, depending on weather. The process requires freezing nights and warmer days to make sap run, which means timing varies year to year.
Sugarhouses in the area welcome visitors during sugaring season. You can watch sap get boiled down into syrup, learn why it takes roughly 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of finished syrup, and taste the difference between different grades. Some operations still use traditional wood-fired evaporators. Others have modernized with different systems.
Sugarhouses that open to visitors usually have maple products for sale—syrup, maple cream, maple candy, and other variations. Vermont Maple Open House Weekend happens during sugaring season in March, when many sugarhouses open their doors to visitors.
Pick-Your-Own & Farm Stands
Franklin County has pick-your-own operations for apples in fall and berries in summer. The season runs roughly June through October depending on what you're picking and when different varieties ripen.
Pick-your-own means you're doing the work, giving you an experience beyond choosing produce at the grocery store. The farms typically provide bags or containers and charge by weight.
Farm stands appear on rural roads throughout Franklin County. Some are honor-system roadside tables with a cash box. Others operate with regular hours and multiple products. What you'll find depends on season—berries and greens early summer, corn and tomatoes late summer, squash and apples in fall.
Taylor Park hosts a weekly farmers market on Saturdays from May to October, featuring local vendors selling produce, prepared foods, and other local products.
Visiting Farm Operations
Farm operations that welcome visitors often have specific hours or require appointments. Call ahead to schedule a tour.
Some farms charge for tours, and others are free. Pick-your-own operations charge for what you pick.
Bring cash. Not all operations take cards, and some honor-system farm stands are cash only.