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Getting To The Roots Of Agriculture And Addison County


photo by provided
Dairy Day was not just about celebrating spring, but about exposing the next generation to the ideas, teaching and lifestyle of living with the land that makes Addison County such a special place to be!
photo by provided
Dairy Day was not just about celebrating spring, but about exposing the next generation to the ideas, teaching and lifestyle of living with the land that makes Addison County such a special place to be!

Tuesday May 17, 2016

By Cookie Steponaitis

While no Vermonter will dispute that farming and agricultural sciences are a way to grow crops and eat well, there is so much more to the roots, heritage and traditions associated with the way of life. Drawn to the land in the Champlain Valley as early as the 1730’s Vermont began its journey as a community with two different areas squabbling over whose land grants were for what region. In the 1760’s when the British and French signed final treaties ending the French & Indian Wars over a hundred different communities popped up in Vermont and several of them here in Addison County.
   Those who settled the lower Champlain valley found not only the land favorable for crops, but a desired location at the juncture of major waterways and Lake Champlain. French and Indian War veterans like John Strong settled in the area and built farms, homes and planted some of the earliest apple and plum orchards. While conditions were very rough, mills were built and the farming community grew as people grew not only enough to eat, but began to diversity in products, crops and trading ventures. A community surrounded by and based on agriculture was born.
    Today’s Champlain Valley farms bear little resemblance to their distance predecessors, but while the technology has changed, some fundamental beliefs and realities have not. Farming in this region is more of a statement of a quality of life and less of a business venture. Linked to the past by tradition and a love of the farming process, today’s agriculturalists are learning state of the art techniques, but the most treasured parts of the lifestyle as still passed on by hand and with experiences from the older generations. This was apparent at Dairy Day, held on May 11th at VUHS. Sponsored by the VUHS Future Farmers of America, the day began with the parking lot filling up with tractors of all sizes, vintages and abilities. Some had tires taller than the students and price tags that come in around the $ 500,000 mark and others were vintage tractors that still can till the soil of farm fields. Each was examined, climbed over and appreciated with equal enthusiasm and careful study. By 9 am the back yard had been transformed to include baby cows, chickens, lambs, agricultural games and milk and ice cream products. As the sun grew warmer over 500 children from neighboring schools came and spent time. Teaching the workshops or experiences were Future Farmers of America members whose last names themselves link to generations of farming in the county.
    As the children ran about and animals were of course a main attraction, the connections to the land were everywhere. People sat comfortably on the lawn, some pulling grace, some chatting about gardens, some sharing stories of chickens, ducks, geese and even some talking about a new born calf or baby horse at their home . Since the region has turned green Vermonters have come alive with plans that involve the earth, plants and time outdoors, linking together groups like schools, Future Farmers of America, 4-H, and upcoming agricultural fairs. Families plan ahead, summer goals are set and the spring green of the land translates into a pattern of life dating back to the earliest farmers! There is no doubt Addison County is a place where agriculture still thrives and diversifies with the goals and plans of each new generation of stewards of the land and the way of life we hold dear.


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