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Future of Farming (Part 1)

September 1, 2009

Lydia Ratcliff Vermont farmer

Jenny Attiyeh host/producer, ThoughtCast

Lydia Ratcliff, owner of the last working farm in Andover, Vermont, talks about the future of farming with ThoughtCast's Jenny Attiyeh.

Lydia Ratcliff is a survivor. She has farmed her 90 acre plot of land in Andover Vermont for 43 years, and though she has now come down with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, at 75 years of age, she still climbs on top of that tractor in hay season. About 40 years ago, farms were thick on the ground in Andover, a rural town in southern Vermont. Today, Ratcliff’s Lovejoy Brook Farm is the last working farm still in operation. But can it survive much longer? Does Lydia offer a lesson for the rest of us? Does she represent the future of farming in Vermont, or is she one of the last of a dying breed?
(Note: this is part 1 of 2, and features an audio-only story. The second part features a slideshow, narrated by Lydia.)

Topics: People & Places

Tags: andover vermont | cows | dairy farm | Farming | free range | goats | jenny attiyeh | livestock guardian dog | lovejoy brook farm | lydia ratcliff | maremma | organic | sheep | small farm | thoughtcast | vermont dairy farm | vermont farm | Interviews | Nature & Environment | Economics | Environment | Food & Dining | Humans & Nature | Profiles | Lifestyle | North American

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