Why should we support local dairy farms? For one, they help preserve open spaces. Just ask Greg Peracchio, of Hytone Farm in Coventry, Connecticut.
Giovani Peracchio purchased 70 acres in Coventry in 1944 to grow fruits and vegetables with his son, Tony. They added a few milk cows to guarantee year-round income. Today, with over 260 Holstein milking cows, the fourth generation of Peracchios work Hytone Farm.
Managing more than 800 acres, Hytone Farm has agreements with landowners in seven local towns to grow corn and grass silage. Keeping farmland productive is the most effective way to ensure it will be available for future generations.
Hytone Farm received Connecticut’s Dairy Farm of Distinction Award in acknowledgment for demonstrated land stewardship. The Peracchios plan to continue the Hytone Farm tradition of farming excellence for generations to come.
Some information and black and white images provided by Cabot Creamery Co-operative