Officials
released new figures this week on the impact of Tropical Storm Irene on Vermont’s farms. They
now estimate the damage to land, crops and infrastructure at $20 million, and there’s
still concern about the difficulties farmers face dealing with the effects of
Irene.
The popularity of the localvore movement is seen as a return to an earlier era, but there are fascinating differences between today’s emphasis on locally produced food and the farm traditions of the past.
Ethan Allen is a towering figure in early Vermont
history, and now his biography is told in the new book, “Ethan
Allen: His Life and Times” by historian Willard Sterne Randall.
The Vermont Agriculture Agency says for the first time in a long time there are fewer than 1,000 dairy farms in Vermont. The number dropped this spring to 992 dairy operations across the state.
Dairy and vegetable farms are still dealing with saturated fields
in the aftermath of severe spring flooding, and the delayed planting of crops will have
ripple effects throughout the growing season.