Producer: Huckins Farm
Location: North Hampton, NH
Found at the Littleton Co-op: raw milk and yogurt
Website: huckinsfarm.org
Dairy production has a long and significant history in the United States, which we celebrate in June with National Dairy Month. The recognition, dating back to 1937, was originally called National Milk Month, and was started to promote milk during a national surplus. Before modern refrigeration, milk was not popular with consumers in the warm summer months, but farm milk production continued. Today, we move beyond milk to honor the contributions of dairy and the hardworking people who stand behind it. Not only does milk and dairy offer nutritional value to a daily diet, supporting local dairy means supporting local family farms persevering in an especially difficult and volatile industry. At the Littleton Food Co-op, we are honored to support local and regional dairy producers, and are excited to share a glimpse at some of their stories in June and beyond.
The story of Huckins Farm in New Hampton, NH goes back over 200 years ago, but the farm and micro-dairy we know it as today started to take shape in 1906 when it was purchased by the Huckins family. It continues to be family-owned, with Matty Huckins at the helm. She arrived on the farm with her late husband in 1988, with no knowledge or experience but a love for animals. Together, their mission is to provide wholesome, nutritious products for you and your loved ones while promoting education through workshops and classes as we work together to cultivate a more healthy, sustainable, and loving world. The farm specializes in raw, meaning unpasteurized, milk and raw milk products, firmly believing in the power of the probiotics and enzymes lost from pasteurization. Their 16 Guernsey cows, each with their own documented name and personality, go through pasture-based rotational grazing (except in the winter) and the care of a nutritionist. Approximately 128 acres of Huckins’ farmland is permanently protected from development through the local Lakes Region Conservation Trust.
While holding strong through support from family and friends, Matty was still looking for a family successor in 2022. Her Lakes Region neighborhood has withstood the fall of local, family-owned dairies – unlike many New Hampshire areas – so she is hoping that she will be able to eventually pass the baton.
Status of product availability at the Littleton Co-op, and labeling of producers (such as local, Black-Owned Business, NH-made, etc) and product status or ingredients (gluten-free, vegan, etc) is based on available information at time of publication. The food world is an ever-changing landscape and information presented here may not reflect the most up-to-date information available.
