Did you know that June is National Dairy Month? You may understand why this is our favorite time of the year and we hope to make it yours too!
From a thick slice of Cheddar on a burger to an ice cold glass of milk with warm cookies, there is no denying the enjoyment that dairy can bring to special moments and to our favorite foods.
Dairy tastes great and while there are moments to indulge, milk is also full of nutrients and is good for our health. Not to mention, milk is local and in season all year long!
So pour yourself a glass of ice cold milk or add an extra dollop of whipped cream to your sundae, whatever fits your lifestyle, join in on the celebration!
Here are 5 easy ways to celebrate:
1. Visit a dairy farm or go to a dairy related event! Several farms and organizations are hosting events in June. See events by state below.
Connecticut:
- June 9th: Dairy Day at the Ballpark. Celebrate National Dairy Month with chocolate milk samples, dairy trivia, giveaways and the opportunity to meet Connecticut dairy farm families at The Hartford Yard Goats baseball stadium.
- Saturdays in June: Open Barn Saturdays at Arethusa Farm in Litchfield. Meet the cows and learn more about this beautiful CT dairy farm.
Massachusetts:
- June 4th – 6th: The 37th Annual Jimmy Fund Scooper Bowl is the nation’s largest all-you-can-eat ice cream festival! Grab your spoons at Boston’s City Hall Plaza to support Dana-Farber’s mission to conquer cancer. The event is from 12pm to 8pm each day. We’ll be on the plaza with our Must Be The Milk booth June 4-6th from 12pm until 3:00pm. Stop by to play trivia, win prizes, and more! You can also join us under the big tent for Scoop at Night on June 6th from 5-8pm for Boston’s sweetest happy hour. Relax after work with unlimited ice cream, music, games, and two adult beverages. Attendees must be 21 or older. IDs will be checked at the entrance.
- All Month Long: Dairy Month Dairy Crawl. Local farmstands in Hadley, South Hadley, and Sunderland are celebrating with the second annual Dairy Month Dairy Crawl. This collaborative event aims to gather the community around local ice cream, while building awareness of the role family dairy farms play in the local economy, green space, habitat, heritage, and our regional food system.
1. Visit the participating farmstands:
Barstow’s Dairy Store and Bakery
North Hadley Sugar Shack and Market
Smiarowski’s Farmstand and Creamery
2. Purchase an ice cream
3. Get your Dairy Crawl passport stamped between June 1 and June 30
Participants who turn in completed passports will be entered into a raffle to win a prize from one of the 6 farmstands.
- All Month Long: Great Brook Farm in Carlisle is the only working dairy farm located in a state park and only 22 miles outside of Boston! Tours for the public are held on weekends and holidays. Groups that want to book tours during the week can call or email in advance.
New Hampshire:
- June 29th: Meet Your Milk – The NH Agricultural Experiment Station at the University of New Hampshire and Granite State Dairy Promotion invite the public to “meet your milk”. The annual statewide event, which is free and open to the public, takes place at the Fairchild Dairy Teaching and Research Center from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- All Month Long: The New Hampshire Ice Cream Trail, produced by Granite State Dairy Promotion, features about 50 ice cream scoop shops all across the state. Create a day, weekend, or whole summer of fun touring New Hampshire with your favorite summertime treat. #eatlikeacow
Rhode Island:
- Starting June 1st: The Wright Scoop Shop Grand Opening at Wrights Dairy Farm & Bakery in North Smithfield. Wright’s has transformed a vintage trailer into a full-time scoop shop that will be open all summer, Wednesday-Sunday. From cow to cone, in just a few short days, come experience farmstead ice cream done the Wright way!
Vermont:
- May 30th – June 2nd: Vermont Dairy Festival in Enosburg Falls.
- June 1st: Newmont Farm Open Farm Day in Bradford. Tour the farm and milking parlor! Ride a horse drawn scenic wagon around some of the beautiful fields along the Connecticut River. A dairy nutritionist will be at the farm to let you look into what farmers do to ensure their cows have a properly balanced diet. Under the tent you can grab a hot dog, a milk, and an ice cream! Cow train rides and face painting for the kids.
- June 7th – 9th: Strolling of the Heifers Parade and Festival in Brattleboro.
- June 22nd: Vermont Breakfast on the Farm at Maxwell’s Neighborhood Farm in Newport, VT. This is a FREE event where you can enjoy breakfast and get a first-hand look at a modern dairy farm but you need to RESERVE YOUR FREE TICKETS!
2. Make amazing recipes with dairy! Check out our recipes page for some ideas, or watch some of our recipe videos!
3. Help feed a family in your community. In addition to sharing all that we love about dairy, we also want to provide nutritious food to kids who need it this summer.
One in six kids in the U.S. faces hunger, and that number goes up during the summer months. The dairy community is joining forces with Feeding America to provide milk to kids in need across the country. Go to giveagallon.com and donate so kids in your local community have access to high-quality nutrition, including milk.
4. Take a 360 virtual tour of a New England dairy farm or watch a video featuring a local dairy farming family! Meet them and learn how milk gets from the farm to you!
5. Visit and share our June Dairy Month page to get a crash course on dairy questions, more tasty recipes and everything in-between!
6. Learn more about dairy’s undeniable goodness. Dairy is local, sustainable, nutritious and delicious!
