Vermont's 'agripreneurs' succeed in 'post-dairy' economy

Joneslan Farm sold its cows and became the biggest goat farm
in the state. (Photo by Zoeann Murphy, The Washington Post)

On Vermont's US 7 in 2017, a 600-acre dairy farm, Nordic Farms, went bankrupt. The cows and farm were sold. "But the land became part of Vermont’s agricultural future. Will Raap, founder of Gardner's Supply, an organic gardening supply company, bought the property with a vision for making it a model of a 'post-dairy agricultural economy in Vermont'," report Laura Reiley and Zoeann Murphy of The Washington Post.

"Dairy once accounted for 70 percent of the state’s agricultural economy. But the number of dairy farms in Vermont decreased from more than 4,000 in 1969 to fewer than 600 in 2021, as the state’s small-scale operations lost out to sprawling ventures in California," they write. "Higher temperatures also contributed to that shift, causing cows to eat less and produce less milk."

With 600 acres to work, Raap created Earthkeep Farmcommon in 2021. "More than a dozen agricultural businesses, including Vermont’s first shrimp aquaculture outfit, share land, equipment and barn space, and together build consumer interest and brand identity with farmers markets and events," Reiley and Murphy report. "A new generation of 'agripreneurs' — often young, sometimes first-time farmers, many women or people of color — are swooping in to try something completely different."

Other newcomers to the agriculture scene include a malthouse, which is "the only malthouse in the state, providing the state’s brewers and distillers with malted grains sourced regionally," they write. Along with the Jones family who lost all their cows to daily decline but gained "1,500 goats parkouring over hay bales and each other. Joneslan Farm in Hyde Park is the biggest goat farm in the state, selling its milk to Vermont Creamery to be made into cheese."

Vermont's agriculture community is pivoting to meet climate and economic shifts. Riley and Murphy write, "The state’s agricultural researchers are looking for ways farmers can 'hedge their bets,' diversifying crops with high-value items that can also expand the growing season."