dairy

A Massachusetts dairy farmer nearly sold an unfarmable slice of his land to Walmart, but put an 11-acre solar field there instead; the lease paid $1,000 a week while rooftop panels erased a $1,400 monthly power bill

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A Massachusetts dairy farmer nearly sold an unfarmable slice of his land to Walmart, but put an 11-acre solar field there instead; the lease paid $1,000 a week while rooftop panels erased a $1,400 monthly power bill

A Massachusetts dairy farmer once considered selling an awkward, hard-to-farm patch of his property to Walmart. Instead, he turned the 11-acre slice into a solar field that now provides a steady lease income, while rooftop panels have nearly wiped out the farm’s $1,400 monthly electricity bill. The story was told by John Nagy in Notre … Read more

A manure-lagoon overflow at a Maryland dairy farm killed nearly 11,000 fish across 25 species, state officials say; the farm already faces a pollution lawsuit and a civil-contempt request over alleged violations

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A manure-lagoon overflow at a Maryland dairy farm killed nearly 11,000 fish across 25 species, state officials say; the farm already faces a pollution lawsuit and a civil-contempt request over alleged violations

An overflow from a manure lagoon at Kilby Farms in Cecil County, Maryland, has killed nearly 11,000 fish across 25 species in Basin Run, according to the Maryland Department of the Environment. The incident, which came to light in early October 2026, marks a far larger fish kill than a similar event at the same … Read more

Queensland dairy farmer Libby Rough opened just four campsites after drought forced her family to sell 40 cows; by January 2022, the riverside pitches had brought in more than A$50,000

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Queensland dairy farmer Libby Rough opened just four campsites after drought forced her family to sell 40 cows; by January 2022, the riverside pitches had brought in more than A$50,000

When a severe drought forced Queensland dairy farmer Libby Rough to sell 40 cows, her family faced a frightening financial crisis. Without the regular income from milk sales, everyday costs such as groceries and school fees quickly became hard to pay. To keep the farm going, Rough opened just four unpowered campsites along the river … Read more

A Pennsylvania dairy farmer spent 70 years watching bears and turkeys on his 170-acre farm; in 2026, after turning down two lucrative offers, he permanently protected the land from development

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A Pennsylvania dairy farmer spent 70 years watching bears and turkeys on his 170-acre farm; in 2026, after turning down two lucrative offers, he permanently protected the land from development

After spending most of his life on the same Pennsylvania farm, dairy farmer Jeff Biddle has chosen to protect it from development, even after receiving two lucrative offers from potential buyers. The 170-acre Bear Meadows Farm near Tussey Mountain was placed under a permanent conservation easement in July 2026, according to the Centre County Farmland … Read more

A Washington family has farmed the same land for more than 70 years as a dairy, hay farm and agritourism business; nearly 40 acres can now never be developed even though the family keeps ownership

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A Washington family has farmed the same land for more than 70 years as a dairy, hay farm and agritourism business; nearly 40 acres can now never be developed even though the family keeps ownership

For a family that has worked the property for more than 70 years, the arrangement preserves both the land and its role in the valley’s agricultural landscape. For more than seven decades, the Foster family has worked the same stretch of Washington farmland, raising dairy cattle, producing hay and opening its operation to visitors through … Read more

In 2024, Narelle Zanker turned her 4,000-acre family dairy farm into a classroom; 2 years later, her Dairy Adventures had welcomed 1,200+ visitors and won the 2026 Rural Women’s Award

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In 2024, Narelle Zanker turned her 4,000-acre family dairy farm into a classroom; 2 years later, her Dairy Adventures had welcomed 1,200+ visitors and won the 2026 Rural Women’s Award

Photo: dairyadventures/ Instagram In 2024, Narelle Zanker turned her 4,000-acre family dairy farm near Mannum into a living classroom where visitors could bottle-feed calves, watch milking in action and learn where their food really comes from. Two years later, her agritourism venture Dairy Adventures had welcomed more than 1,200 guests and earned her the 2026 … Read more

In 2011, a Massachusetts dairy installed the state’s first agricultural digester; by 2020, manure and food waste were saving it $155,000 a year on heat, fertiliser, and bedding

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In 2011, a Massachusetts dairy installed the state's first agricultural digester; by 2020, manure and food waste were saving it $155,000 a year on heat, fertiliser, and bedding

For generations, cow manure was simply an unavoidable byproduct of running a dairy farm. At Jordan Dairy Farms in Rutland, Massachusetts, however, it became something much more valuable: a source of electricity, heat, fertiliser and even animal bedding. In 2011, the family-run dairy installed what it describes as the first agricultural anaerobic digester in Massachusetts. … Read more

Humans stepped back from this UK dairy farm in 2023; three years later, wildlife returns as 27 more bird species appear and butterfly numbers more than double

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Humans stepped back from this UK dairy farm in 2023; three years later, wildlife returns as 27 more bird species appear and butterfly numbers more than double

Image: The Guardian/Jenny Vickers A former dairy farm in the UK has undergone a striking transformation after humans stepped back and allowed natural processes to reshape the land. At Heal Somerset, a 460-acre site in Somerset acquired by the rewilding charity Heal in December 2022, the first three years of nature recovery have brought a … Read more