Waterbury’s former dairy farm owners struggle to move on

For 48 years, George Woodard woke up before dawn and milked his cows. His day would end the same way, in his barn with the herd. 

For many of those years, Woodard’s 200-acre farm was booming. Now, the milking stalls in his barn sit empty, only occasionally visited by Woodard and his tabbycat, Jack. 

“It was a time which was precious. And it’s gone,” Woodard said.

Waterbury was once a dairy town. It’s home to Ben & Jerry’s Factory Store, a magnet for tourists seeking socially-responsible, locally-sourced ice cream.

But if they want to see a working dairy farm, they’ll have to go elsewhere. Rising costs of production and competition from ever-growing commercial dairies have driven out Waterbury’s dairy farms.

Until recently, Waterbury was home to three commercial dairy farms: the Wallaces’, the Davises’, and the Woodards’. Today, there are none.

Ten years ago, a fire destroyed Rosina Wallace’s dairy barn, killing her entire herd of 23 cows. After that, it was too expensive to start over. 

“The dairy industry does not want small farmers,” Wallace said. “Financially, it was just impossible for me to get back into it.”

In 1943, Mark Davis’ grandparents bought nearly 200 acres of grazing land to start their farm.