The earliest information that can be found about dairying in New Hampshire is found in a letter written August 6, 1634 by Mr. Ambrose Gibbons, manager of Captain John Mason’s plantation, which encompassed the present city of Portsmouth.

The state’s earliest settlers established homesteads on the hillsides where there were nice breezes in the summer, heavy soils, protection from flooding, and good views (Porter, 1985, p.1). They raised food for their own use and for barter. Dairy cattle were found on nearly all of these early farms to supply milk and dairy products to the family.

As milk production increased with the growth in animal numbers on each farm, and the number of people living in villages grew, there was a need to market milk and other farm products from the country to the city. Individual farms sold milk and cream in nearby towns and cities in the 19th century (Moyer, 2003, p. 101).

Dairying has been one of the principal sectors of New Hampshire agriculture for many years.

Dairying is a self supporting industry and not dependent on the artificial. It is therefore an ideal industry, because from its own resources it is able to sustain itself forever” (Weld, 1905, p. 73).

Another advantage to the dairy industry was its proximity to Boston. Milk began traveling by rail to distant markets such as Boston in the 1840s.

Farmers near railroads benefited the most from the Boston market. The railroad allowed agricultural products to be shipped further away from the farm and opened new markets. Milk can platforms were beside the railroad tracks where area farmers would leave their milk. At one point, it was said there were 147 railway stations in New Hampshire from which milk was forwarded to Boston six days a week (Weld, 1905, p. 76).

The period around the Civil War was the heyday of New Hampshire agriculture, as was the case throughout the entire country.

On February 26, 1884 a meeting was called at the City Hotel in Manchester, “…to effect an organization in the interest of dairying,” (Granite State Dairymen, 1884, pp. 5 -17).

On March 18, 1884, the constitution and by-laws were enacted for the Granite State Dairymen’s Association and Mr. Connor was elected the first president. Records of the Association indicated that their early meetings revolved around techniques for making quality butter, new technology for separating cream from milk and regulating the sale of “oleomargarine.”

Granite State Dairymen was a very influential organization in its day. Towns used to bid to host its annual meeting because it brought so many people to the area. A notation in the minutes in Lisbon on December 8, 1906 states, “The attendance at the session was estimated as follows: morning 300, afternoon 500, evening 700.