Local Highlight: Thomas Farm & Dairy

Building a future takes a lot of hard work, but that didn’t stop Jim & Laurie of Thomas Farm & Dairy.

They are located in Sunderland, MA, and just like their goats this small farm takes their challenges head on. Years of investing their sweat, time, and money into the land and farm has built a stable and reliable business – as well as a herd of over 180 prized goats. Their business has been recognized by local organizations for their excellence and perseverance, and in turn has received support through state and private grants.

Their cheeses are sold throughout our region, as close as Cummington and all the way out to Marblehead. They even make it onto the menu of a wide range of our local restaurants, from the Dream Away Lodge to Local Burger.

Over the last decade Jim and Laurie have built this business together. Their love for each other is perhaps only second to their work ethic, as both found their match in more ways than one. Good thing too, as it turns out a goat farm is no small task. Goats are intelligent and clean, in comparison to other livestock, but can be hard to keep healthy and happy.

Photo: Laurie Cuevas (Left)
& Jim Thomas (Right)

But these goats are thriving, thanks to all the care and attention they receive. The kids are socialized from birth, and, unlike many farms, are allowed to age out gracefully. Their comfortable “retirement” is part of the farm’s “benefits package.”

When the events of 2020 brought a renewed focus on Local Producers, the Thomas Farm Stand was a great way for folks to maintain access. The stand was so popular that by the time the weather had shifted people had already begun to ask if there was a way to keep it open all winter. Jim got started on a new farm stand, building it entirely before moving it onto the slab by the road with his Case M450 bulldozer. The new stand could button up for the winter, and was more recently joined by a play area for the goat kids across the driveway.

The Farm specializes in goat cheeses – from delightful flavors of Chevre, to Curds for melting over the perfect bed of fries. The farm hosts both Nubian (prized for flavor and fat content) and Saanan (highest milk production) breeds. No matter the breed, goats need to be milked twice a day. And every spring the farm readies itself for an onslaught of goat kids! Many go to new homes, some stay as the next generation, but every single one gets a name. You can see the birth chart and names below. This is no small part of the farm’s production cycle. In addition to a name, Thomas farm breeds prime stock and keeps records for each goat’s pedigree.

The farm’s primary focus has been their goat dairy, but they also offer a wider variety of goods. From vegetables and flowers to pickles, even cow’s milk cheese, eggs, mulch hay, and other local products from their network of farmer friends. In recent years they invested in a round baler and hay their own fields, but the girls eat roughly a round bale a day so the pair needs to rent land further afield from the fertile valley soil. While their own soil is great for growing veggies and hay, trying to rent additional space to grow hay in the valley puts you in competition with tobacco and potato farmers who can afford higher premiums with their cash crop yields.

Work is part of the farm, and Josie the Jack Russell Terrier is ready at all times. It runs in the family. Jim built the barn, all the additions, he built their house, the farm stand, and the winterized farm stand 2.0. Before becoming fulltime farmers, both owners had successful careers in other fields, but they also had roots in agriculture. Lucky for them they are both workaholics and the farm is enough to keep even these two busy.

Laurie and Jim have made some ripples, in the valley and beyond. Thomas Farm & Dairy has been awarded multiple Local Farmer Awards from The Harold Grinspoon Charitable Foundation that have greatly assisted in the acquisition of a Swinging Automatic Goat Brush, an Ultrasound Machine for Pregnancy Testing, and Goat Pens & Hay Feeders. These grants help support capital improvements on farms throughout Western Massachusetts.

The dairy has also had some success with social media, from cute goat videos to going viral after Laurie Cuevas posted a video of her father and his best friend, Tommy the Ox. The former 3,000-pound Brown Swiss steer was noticed by Guinness World Records and was declared the tallest living steer at the time.

In 2026 Thomas Farm & Dairy was awarded a grant from the Food Security Infrastructure Grant for the purchase of a 79-gallon vat pasteurizer, an automatic milk bottler, and a refrigerator unit to double their dairy capacity. The pasteurizer is en route to the farm, and should be arriving any day. This is the sort of assistance that changes the game for a small farm like theirs, expanding into a new market while doubling storage capacity represents meaningful growth. A delivery truck was also part of a grant to the farm, and allows Jim to deliver across Western MA, bringing the goat goodness to all who partake.