Four Girls Dairy in Fairfax, Vermont, has been named the 2025 Vermont Dairy Farm of the Year by the University of Vermont Extension and the Vermont Dairy Industry Association, in partnership with the New England Green Pastures program. The 247-acre farm was recognized for outstanding milk quality, herd and crop management, and sustainable practices.
Owner Peter Rainville, who grew up farming, purchased the property in 2000 and named it after his four daughters—Sarah, Marie, Hannah, and Ashley. After a 2008 barn fire, he rebuilt with a free-stall barn and installed a Lely robotic milking system, downsizing to a more efficient herd of 60 Holsteins.
Today, his cows average 80 pounds of milk per day, with a rolling herd average of 24,000 pounds. The farm earns quality premiums through the Dairy Farmers of America Cooperative and has received multiple milk quality awards. Rainville breeds for traits compatible with robotic milking and maintains a 21-month calving interval.
The farm grows all its own forages—120 acres of grass and 45 acres of corn—with yields of 3.5–4 tons and 20 tons per acre respectively. Cows are fed a partial mixed ration (PMR) of silage, haylage, and grain, with additional feed at the robotic milker.
Rainville works closely with UVM Extension on forage trials and soil health research, including cutting height studies and cover crop interseeding. He also participates in trials on neonicotinoid seed treatments to reduce runoff and improve sustainability.
Since 2011, the farm has been enrolled in Ben & Jerry’s Caring Dairy program, implementing climate-smart practices such as installing a 72-kilowatt solar system and using a Lely Juno feed pusher to improve feed access and milk production.
Other 2025 finalists included Miller Farm, Inc. of Vernon and Taft’s Milk and Maple Farm of Huntington.
