Addison County Fair & Field Days 2019 pg. 3
ECRWSS PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE PAID DENTON PUBLICATIONS PO Box 338 Elizabethtown NY 12932 Postal Patron
Event summary and photos
VERMONT
August 17, 2019
Published by Denton Publications, Inc.
Serving Addison, Rutland & Chittenden Counties
MILK PRICE INCREASE, GOOD NEWS FOR LOCAL FARMERS
By Lou Varricchio EDITOR
Jim Callahan
Photo by Lou Varricchio
Remembering Jim Callahan By Lou Varricchio EDITOR
MIDDLEBURY | Educator, mathematician, former Mary Hogan Elementary School principal, and past member of the Middlebury School Board, James “Jim” Callahan, 83, passed away on Aug. 8, 2019. A long-time Middlebury resident, Callahan was a native of Winchester, Massachusetts; he earned undergraduate and graduate degrees from Lowell State College, Salem State College and Boston University. He became a teacher and later a school administrator starting in the 1960s. After years as principal at Mary Hogan, he became an instructional-materials author and owner of Callahan Associates, a Middlebury-based education consulting and mathematics tutoring firm. Callahan taught and consulted around New England and traveled even as far as Alaska. He assisted teachers in craft ing successful mathematics programs for young students.
MIDDLEBURY | A new forecast by regional dairy co-op powerhouse Agri-Mark may come as good news to Addison County dairy farmers: an Agri-Mark economist is predicting that wholesale milk prices will increase in 2020. But don’t guzzle the milk shakes just yet: While Agri-Mark’s forecast means dairy prices will likely recover after five years of decline, the improvement is rather anemic. Catherine de Ronde, the senior economist at Agri-Mark, was interviewed by Vermont Public Radio last week. She told VPR that she expects the average price per hundredweight of milk to increase from approximately $18 to $19; this is a modest boost. Milk production has been flat since 2017, according to Vermont and USDA data. “You know, unfortunately, sometimes where that milk production decline is coming from is the loss of farms, of course,” she told VPR. The state’s Agency of Agriculture reported recently that 25 farms closed here between January through July. “On the price side, international sales of U.S. milk products could increase demand and boost prices. But de Ronde said trade tensions with China complicate the forecast,” VPR’s John Dillon reported on Aug. 5. ■
Milk production has been flat since 2017, according to Vermont and USDA data. Pictured: Cows feeding at a Nop family farm on Blake Roy Road in Middlebury. Photo by Lou Varricchio
See CALLAHAN » pg. 4
Bridport Fairy Tale Farm wins national cheese award By Lou Varricchio EDITOR
BRIDPORT | Dairy farmers of the state of Wisconsin may pride themselves as members of the cheeseiest state in the union, but this month Vermont farmers showed themselves to be the new “big cheeses” on the block to watch out for. Among these “big cheeses” is Bridport’s Fairy Tale Farm. The farm’s Nuberu cheese place no. 2 among hundreds of entries. A record was set for Vermont cheeses at the prestigious American Cheese Society’s annual awards competition in Richmond, Virginia, recently. According to Agriculture Secretary Anson Tebbetts, local producers collectively took home 44 ribbons, marking Vermont’s best showing to date. Additionally, five Vermont cheeses were finalists for the Best of Show.
Judges enjoyed tasting Bridport’s Fairy Tale Farm awardwinning Nuberu (with saff ron and peppercorn) at the recent American Cheese Society’s annual awards competition in Richmond, Virginia. Photo courtesy of Fairy Tale Farm
MAKE YOUR HOME’S LANDSCAPING STAND OUT! Whether it’s one section as an accent piece, or a large run of fencing, the right fencing can make all the difference.
FENCE CO., INC.
“These awards reinforce Vermont’s commitment to quality, which starts with the farmer, on the farm, and is carried right through until the cheese is served,“ Tebbetts said. “Many thanks to the cheesemakers and the Vermont Cheese Council for their hard work helping Vermont’s economy grow by continuing to reinforce and grow the quality of Vermont products.” There were more 2,000 entries at the 2019 awards event with 25 Vermont companies submitting cheeses to be judged. Here’s a sampling of some of the winning cheeses from Vermont: • Barn First Creamery: Malloy, 1st Place • Boston Post Dairy: Eleven Brothers, 2nd Place; Gisele, 3rd Place • Cabot Creamery Cooperative: Cabot Founders Private Stock, 1st Place. • Cate Hill Orchard: Vermanchego, 2nd Place See CHEESE AWARD » pg. 2
Vinyl Fence - Picket, Privacy, 2-3-4 Rail, Scallop Picket. Cedar Fence - Beauty & Quality. Provides privacy & security. Ornamental Aluminum Fencing
394 Shunpike Rd., Williston, VT • 802-862-6691 • 802-862-6650 Website: fehartfence.com • e-mail: fehartfence@aol.com Store Hours: M-F 8-5 • Sat. 9-1 • Closed Sun.
225371