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The
Farm at Morrison Corner appears in town land books in the late 1700's,
as part of a property owned by no less a personage than Ira Allen
himself.
But
the Farm as we know it today didn't take shape until the 1830's.
In the 1950's, with a song in her heart, and a party to celebrate,
my grandmother sold off the last of the stock, tore down the barn,
and recycled the boards into kitchen cabinets. I'm quite sure she
wouldn't approve chickens, sheep, or, perish the thought... a cow.
But the best she can do is haunt us from the graveyard by the woods.
Rolling
back time is a tricky operation. When the original barn went up,
at best it cost a few hundred dollars and was made with boards milled
from our own trees. A barn today would have to meet USDA requirements
if we wanted to sell milk or cheese to the public... and run a minimum
of $17,000-$20,000 for a small barn... without equipment! There
is an old joke about the Vermont farmer who won the lottery. "What
are you going to do now?" the reporter asked. "Keep farming
until its gone, I guess," he replied.
Follow
the Farm from the 1840's to present
Essays from The Farm: a view
from a hill farm
A Flock of Your Own: Raising chickens
for everyone
A
flock of Your Own: Raising Sheep in Your Backyard.. our newest guide!
Sources
and Resources for Small Farms
TractorByNet:
a site for rural folks, tractor owners, if it isn't here, it probably
isn't on the web
Want
to visit? You'll need to Stay
in Stowe, VT
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