Nordic Farms is Home to Contented Cows
by Nancy Wood
July 1, 2010, pg 8

It would not be an exaggeration to say that the dairy cows at Nordic Farms lead a “cushy” life. They roam freely through their well-ventilated barn, with views of open fields and the Green Mountains. They bed down at will on clean sawdust over inch-thick rubber padding covering the concrete stalls. Mechanized floors are in constant slow-motion, removing manure from the barn. When the cows decide it is time to be milked, they have access to one of four milking stations “manned” by robots programmed to know the particulars of each cow’s anatomy and production.

Located on Route 7, the farm was known at one time as the Brigham Farm. It became Nordic Farms when owned by Ross Anderson, who was also an owner of the Nordic Ford automobile dealership (now Heritage) in South Burlington. Clark Hinsdale, Jr., bought it in the early 2000’s as an alternative to developing a large farm on his property on Guinea Road, which was opposed by many of the neighbors. The Route 7 location was desirable because the land was in conservation, and with little residential development nearby, issues of noise, smell and water usage were not a problem.

Hinsdale, with son Clark III and farm manager Michel LaClair, designed the state-of-the-art dairy barn, with plans for later expansion to eight robots that would accommodate 480 cows.

Clark Hindsdale III took over management of the farm when his father died. His goal is to develop it into a community owned resource, with an educational mission. Currently about 300 cows are being milked, including 180 belonging to Hinsdale, and 120 that are part of the University of Vermont dairy herd. The robotic barn houses 250, while the other 50 are being milked by hand in the older barn.

Hinsdale grows all the forage – hay and corn – for the cows on the family’s land in East Charlotte and at Nordic Farms. The cows are fed a “casserole” that is a balance of forage fed as silage, mixed with grain and nutrients. The cows are not treated with BHG (bovine growth hormone). Hinsdale is opposed to it. He said his father tried it years ago, but didn’t like that it meant giving the cows shots on a regular basis. “It is not consistent with the relationship that dairy farmers have with their cows,” Clark says, “The farmer wants to represent food and nurture.” He added, “Happy cows don’t come from California. They’re here in Vermont.”

Nordic Farms is not immune to the losses being suffered by dairy farmers across the state because of the current low price of milk. However, the mechanized barn requires less labor, so costs of production are lower, which reduces losses now and makes breakeven more attainable.

The future of the UVM cows at Nordic Farms is uncertain. The University issued a request for proposals for the purchase of the dairy herd on June 17. The entire herd of 255 cows, appraised at $342,550, will be sold. According to the proposal, “UVM intends to increase its research scope by participating with a number of private sector ‘partner farms’ rather than maintaining a standing herd of limited size.”

The deadline for bids is July 12, and the bid selection will take place on July 23. The bid documents indicate that the preference is for all the cows to be purchased together, and that “UVM desires a ‘good, well-managed, home’ for the Research Herd.”

Hinsdale intends to bid on the herd, and says that Nordic is the only farm in the state that meets all the standards that should be needed to be a ‘partner farm.’ Coral Kent-Kent Dennis, the herd manager, added that, “The most humane thing would be for the herd to stay here.” The UVM cows were moved to Nordic just a year ago, and have adjusted to their comfortable life and the robotic milking.