Vermont’s dairy market may be souring for many farmers — but it doesn’t mean the land is going bad.
This story about a family farm in transition aired on Vermont Public Radio’s Vermont Edition on August 18, 2011. To stream the story, click here.
Hundreds of people gather at Bread and Butter Farm’s Burger Nights for farm raised eats and live music.
“Get big or get out” is a common wisdom in the dairy industry. And many small-scale farms have gotten out. Northern New York has half the dairy farms it did 20 years ago, and the remaining farms are generally much bigger. Some are much, much bigger.
In Vermont, the number of dairy farms dropped below 1,000 in May. But not everybody getting out of dairy is leaving farming altogether. One family operation in Ferrisburgh is repurposing the farm, and starting small.
Joe Birkett, left, and his father Joe with a healthy hop vine.
This story aired on July 13, 2011 as part of North Country Public Radio’s series, Farmers Under 40. To stream the story, click here.
The Vermont Center for Ecostudies has released the first comprehensive butterfly atlas for the state. It was almost ten years in the making, and long overdue. According to Kent McFarland, co-founder of VCE, the atlas will serve as a good reference point as climate change alters butterfly habitats and populations in the future.
Banded Hairstreak. Photo courtesy of Kevin Hemeon.
This story aired on Vermont Public Radio’s Vermont Edition on June 13, 2011. To stream the story, click here.
If you want to find a butterfly, look for its host plant — the place where it lays its eggs. Still need help? Ask Kevin Hemeon. They call him “Sweet Nectar.”
This story aired on North Country Public Radio’s Heard Up North series on May 27th. To stream the story, click here.
It’s practically a given that you need a car if you want to live in a rural place. Not all towns have grocery stores or pharmacies. Work can be miles away. The distances and empty landscapes are particularly isolating for the hundreds of undocumented workers on dairy farms in the region. Undocumented migrant workers can’t drive - they’re not eligible for driver’s licenses.
A group of Middlebury College students is providing local farm workers with a two-wheeled alternative.
This story aired on May 20, 2011 on North Country Public Radio. To stream the story, click here.
