Vermont Agriculture

  My favorite thing to do when we visit Vermont is to hunt down the old barns with my camera.  Back in the day, the  houses were small and sturdy and the barns were built BIG, to accommodate the livelihood of the farmers,  their livestock and crops.  Many are tumbling down now, sad to see.


PS – Blogger is giving me real issues with fixing fonts on this post.. I apologize for the unruly appearance and size of fonts.  


Some Agricultural History: (or, skip to the pictures)  Farming has always played a major part in the lives of Vermonters.  In the late 1700’s, most Vermonters lived on self sufficient farms, which meant they consumed most of the food they produced.  Sheep were introduced to Vermont in 1811 and soon they became a major source of income for farmers.  The rough hillsides and climate of the state were especially suited for sheep raising.  By the 1840’s competition from other areas and economic conditions led to a decrease in sheep farming.


            In the years before the Civil War, Vermont began to move towards dairy farming.  Just after the late 1840’s, before there was refrigeration, the milk was made into cheese and butter and shipped by railroad to out of state markets.  After the refrigerated railroad car was invented in 1910, fluid milk was shipped in large quantities to cities like Boston and New York.

            In 1983 79% of the money made on farms was from dairy products and in 1995 it was 69.9%, but as it has in the past, farming in Vermont is changing.  There are fewer farms and less of the land in the state is used for agriculture.   Only the prime farmland remains in agriculture.  21.5% of Vermont land was used for the purpose of farming in 1997.  One reason for this is an increase in population and the resulting demand for good land.  Land is expensive and may sometimes bring large amounts of money when it is sold for housing instead of being used for farming.  Large farms may sometimes have a tax burden that is too difficult for the farmer to pay.  Much of our food is now shipped in from the west and south where it can be produced more cheaply.  Also there is an increase in the percentage of farmers who work at jobs off the farm to help supply themselves.  This means an increase in the number of part-time farms.

   We visited Sugarbush Farm first, owned  by the Luce Family …had a nice visit with their Belgian draft horses and bought some syrup and cheddar cheese.  Many of the remaining farms work very hard just to stay afloat, some of the families go back for three or four generations and are trying to hold on to  their heritage… no easy feat.  When I say “work very hard” – their physical labor is intense all year through and the money is sporatic and the pay not what it should be given the value of the fresh food and produce they provide.  Another problem is the young generation that would normally take over the responsibilities as their elders “age”… are turning away from the rural way of life and moving elsewhere, choosing a different path.  Then there are the economics of the beast… the land becomes more valuable than the sparse income these families can eek out with all that hard work. That  brings on a whole slew of other issues, sometimes dividing families in the process.  

     You’ve probably heard of the slogan… No Farms, No Food… ?…. well, when we buy fresh from these farms, the quality is outstanding and it’s easy to see how our factory produced foods have taken us down a rocky road. What many of us consume now can’t compare to what these farms have to offer.  What happens when they’re all gone?  It’s happening, slowly, but surely… you just have to take a ride out into the country and talk to them.


   The Luces are the second, third and fourth generations to live on Sugarbush Farm. Jack and Marion Ayres bought the farm in 1945 with a dream to make a go of country living. They were the first folks in Vermont to start packaging cheese in waxed bars so they would travel well without refrigeration. By 1975 the Boston Globe wrote about Sugarbush Farm “At the end of a scenic Vermont road lies a Cheese Lovers paradise.” In 1995 the American Cheese Society awarded Sugarbush Farm a Blue ribbon for the best smoked cheese in the country. Today the farm is operated by Betsy, the Ayres’s daughter, her husband Larry and their sons Ralph and Jeff. Its the Luce family’s goal to keep the farm a working, active operation. The future looks bright for the fourth generation with 7 grandchildren learning good working habits on the farm.

 Cheese, freshly waxed…. 

   
 More Barn Charm….

  Because it wasn’t far off our path,  I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to photograph Jenne Farm – the most photographed farm in New England.   Jenne farm, located on Jenne Road in Reading, Vermont, has been owned by the same family for generations.  The current residents are struggling to keep the farm going, and because of the prime real estate, it is feared they will eventually have to let go of it for development,  yet another gem lost to us forever.  I hope a way is found to preserve it.

A photo taken by a photographer in fall….

My version on a mid winter day ….

 We visited the Billings Farm and Museum, right on the outskirts of Woodstock, walking distance from the Inn…  click here for more info..   History of the farm HERE.   In brief, it was donated to the state of Vermont as a national historical park  by the Rockefellers and serves as a working dairy farm and educational facility/museum on the history of rural Vermont farm life.  For $14. you get the full tour, including a walk through the homesteads, the  immaculate dairy barns, nursery and a sleigh or wagon ride, depending on the footing.










   If he had his druthers… Mike’s dream cabin, where he can get away from it all..  just down the hill from Sugarbush Farm..

 Thanks for tagging along 🙂   And whenever you get the chance… buy fresh, buy local.. .support local farmers, producers, farm markets.   It matters, and you benefit. Win win.