Brothers Chris and Todd Hannan wanted to get a little experience under their belts before partnering on opening a dairy operation 10 years ago.

Today, they’ve grown their operation into a well-respected herd of registered Holsteins in Woodbury, Conn.

Their operation, Hannan Holsteins, is the 2019 Connecticut Dairy Farm of the Year and will be honored at next month’s Eastern States Exhibition (Big E).

The brothers milk 50 registered Holsteins, half of which are Red and White Holsteins, with 140 head of young stock and mature cows at their rented farm.

The brothers got their start in agriculture raising 4-H sheep and beef projects. Their first Holstein heifers came courtesy of their uncle’s farm, when they were farming in Southbury, Conn.

Learning the business

Todd graduated from Cobleskill College and interned at Adirondack Farms in New York along with working at other area dairy farms, including Arethusa Farm.

Chris graduated from the University of Connecticut and worked for Cargill Animal Nutrition, overseeing nutrition programs on farms in New York and southern New England.

With those experiences under their belts, Todd and Chris started their own dairy farm in 2009, developing a herd of registered dairy cattle, and maintaining quality milk and solid production.

They are members of Agri-Mark and have been actively involved in the cooperative.

Genetics payoff

Todd and Chris have focused on improving their herd’s genetic progress, and their cattle have placed high at area dairy shows.

They farm approximately 350 acres, including 80 acres of corn silage and grain with a portion as BMR corn. The rest is grown for haylage and hay that supports their supplementary hay business.

They focus on production efficiency and are well-known in the area for their excellent relationships with the ag community, community organizations and their neighbors.

They rent and manage nearby state land and have benefited from their late father’s strong relationships with Southbury Land Trust, which rents cropland to them. The brothers’ continued stewardship of these public lands is a tribute to their sustainable approach to dairy farming.

They have served on committees for several agricultural organizations and have a strong passion for the dairy industry.

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