From 4-H Project to Pudding Empire: How Two Sisters Saved Their Family Dairy cover art

From 4-H Project to Pudding Empire: How Two Sisters Saved Their Family Dairy

From 4-H Project to Pudding Empire: How Two Sisters Saved Their Family Dairy

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 What began as a childhood 4-H project has grown into a thriving value-added dairy business feeding families across New England.

This week on American Family Farmer, host Doug Stephan welcomes sisters Beth and Courtney Hodge, co-owners of Echo Farm Puddings in Hinsdale, New Hampshire. Raised on a small farm, the Hodge sisters turned their love for cows—and their reluctance to part with them—into a creative solution that helped sustain their family dairy through volatile milk markets and industry challenges.

Beth manages the dairy herd while Courtney oversees pudding production, but their work overlaps daily as they balance farming, manufacturing, and marketing. About 20% of their milk is transformed into small-batch pudding made entirely on-farm, while the rest goes into the Cabot cheese supply chain. That modest percentage of milk, however, generates a disproportionately large share of the farm’s revenue—proving how powerful value-added agriculture can be for family farms.

The conversation covers how a garage-based 4-H project evolved into a regional pudding brand, why pudding became a “farm-saver” during tough times for dairy, what it really takes to run on-farm food manufacturing, how Certified Humane practices helped them stand out and reach new markets, the role of sustainability, from feeding spent brewery grain to partnering with local farmers, and why loving the act of feeding people is at the heart of everything they do.

This episode is a must-listen for farmers exploring diversification, consumers curious about where their food comes from, and anyone inspired by family-run businesses that adapt, innovate, and endure.

Visit them at EchoFarmPuddings.com and Like them on Facebook.

Website: AmericanFamilyFarmerShow.com
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