Video summary
Roger Albby, a former agriculture secretary and author of "Turning the Soil: 250 Years of Vermont Agriculture," shares his extensive background rooted in a family farm established in 1794. His career spans diverse roles, from working at Cornell University and serving as a trade adviser to leading state agricultural programs before retiring. The book was inspired by Albby's habit of studying historical records stored in safes within the old National Life Building across from the Vermont State House. He believes that understanding the past is essential for appreciating the future, a sentiment reinforced by his ancestors who witnessed centuries of agricultural evolution.
The history of Vermont agriculture is defined by constant change and diversification, evolving from early timber harvesting for potash to becoming the world's sheep capital following Napoleon's invasion of Spain. By the mid-19th century, the state transformed into the butter capital of the world, with towns like St. Albans leading global production. This agricultural boom was essential to the state's development, as every town established creameries and factories that shipped products internationally. However, major federal laws in 1862, including the Land Grant Act, the Homestead Act, and the Intercontinental Railroad Act, opened western lands and connected coastlines, allowing Western farmers to compete cheaply on commodities like grain and beef. Consequently, Vermont farmers were forced to pivot toward high-quality specialty products like cheese and eggs to survive in their local markets.
Geography and transportation played pivotal roles in shaping the state's agricultural identity, particularly in regions like Windham County and Putney, which thrived due to their proximity to cities and emerging highway systems. While early debates over parkway systems faced significant opposition, the later Eisenhower highway system facilitated tourism and ski industries while maintaining market access. Despite misconceptions that Vermont is not a farm state, Albby emphasizes that the state's scenic beauty and open spaces are direct results of its agricultural heritage. The industry has always been deeply connected to the land and its people, fostering a reputation for value-added products that define the state's character today.
Looking toward the future, Albby predicts a continued shift toward diversified agriculture where Vermont cannot compete on commodity prices but can excel in specialty production. With only around 400 dairy farms remaining, the industry must transition to creating unique, high-value products to remain economically viable. The path forward involves community-supported agriculture models, farmsteads offering fresh goods directly to consumers, and a focus on building relationships with nearby markets. Ultimately, Vermont's agricultural resilience lies in its ability to adapt by producing what consumers want locally while preserving the land that has sustained the state for over two centuries.
Read the full video transcript
This is Dennis McMahon and welcome to
Positively Vermont. And my special guest
today is Roger Albby, uh, author of a
new book, Turning the Soil: 250 Years of
Vermont Agriculture and who also served
for many years as our agriculture
secretary and has an extensive uh,
background in the field. Welcome, Roger.
>> Thank you, Dennis. Um, I appreciate um
the chat with you this morning.
>> Tell us a little bit about yourself.
>> Well, I I'm I've been fortunate in life.
I grew up on a small hilltop farm many
many years ago in the small town of
Brooklyn where my family had farmed and
my ancestors since 1794.
I uh went to a one room school and in a
small local high school and then to the
University of Vermont where I graduated
in economics and uh uh took did my
military obligation after that. Um and
after that went to graduate school and
worked for Cornell University for a
short period of time as a crant
extension agent. came back to Vermont,
headed up the 20 program, which was to
address water quality on farmland, and
then uh did some work to set up the
current use program for egg and forestry
taxation.
Went to Washington to work for Jim
Jeffs, uh then Vermont's congressman on
the House a committee as a professional
staff member. uh then with the Northeast
Farm Credit Banks and Bank for
Cooperatives that serves
the Northeast.
Um and then I had an international
trading company, did some work as a
trade adviser to the US egg secretary
and the trade ambassador. Um and then um
headed up the um the um Vermont uh
program for USDA um on agriculture and
then was asked to be secretary of
agriculture and then for a short period
of time after I uh uh left and retired
from that I was CEO of a critical access
hospital for a short period of time. So,
um, some people say I can't keep a job.
[laughter]
>> Well, I'll tell I'll tell you I think I
think you were one of the first people
positively ever Vermont ever reported
back in I guess it was 2006 or something
like that and uh we're very glad to have
you back. It's been too long. U but let
me just ask first of all what prompted
you by the way the book is is really
good. uh I was looking at uh it on the
Vermont Historical Society website. What
prompted you to write this book?
>> Well, you know, when when I was asked to
be um a secretary after all that
experience I had internationally and
nationally and even in the state of
Vermont working on a issues. Um many
times um I in Montpier the uh the agency
building is right across from the
capitol
>> and it's the old national life building.
Mhm.
>> In the building there's two big safes
and in those safes they have all the
background and history of Vermont
agriculture going back to the 1880s.
And sometimes my wife wasn't there with
me. So I'd spend the evenings reading
those books in the safe because I felt
that you had to understand the past to
appreciate the future. And that's so
true.
>> Wow. Now what? And then of course And
then of course
>> then of course my ancestors who had been
farming since 1794
had seen all the changes that had taken
place in agriculture over all those many
years. [clears throat]
>> That's that's wonderful. Now now the
book deals with history but it also
deals with policy and we we'll try to
get to some of that. Uh, and I want to
thank you for the extensive background
you gave me, but tell us a little bit
about the history of of of Vermont
agriculture in a capsule form.
>> Well, you know, it's it's it's it's
always been in a state of change right
from the beginning. Uh, right before
Vermont, way before Vermont became a
state. Of course, in the beginning it
was because Benny Wentworth, the
governor of New Hampshire, um sold all
these uh plots of land to settlers and
um um and the settlers came in. The
first thing they did is cut the trees to
clear the land and the hardwood trees
were cut to make pod ash. Pod ash was in
great demand and it was the first
economic enterprise that farmers
encountered and that disappeared in the
early 1800s because of international
events and uh such. And then we became
the sheep state uh with the William
Jarvis uh bringing in sheep from Spain
because Napoleon is invaded and we were
the sheep capital of the world up until
about 1840 or so. Um and then dairy
cheese and butter. [laughter] We became
known for our cheese and butter. The
butter capital of the world. St. Albins
has had the most butter production of
any place in the world. And then fluid
milk and um and it's always been about
change, diversification, change and that
continues to today as you well know.
>> Could you tell us what uh um role
agriculture played in the development of
the state uh certain towns and
institutions? Oh, it was
>> it it it was actually
essential. It was key. Agriculture was
what made Vermont the vibe. Um made it
important. Every town had uh crearies
and uh butter and cheese factories. In
fact, in the early 1900, we had over 200
uh butter and cheese um uh enterprises
in this. Every town or every area had
them. and uh they were shipped around
the world and around this country and so
it was key as how our towns grew. It was
because of agriculture that our towns
grew and we we gained an international
reputation and a national reputation for
being a state known for its agriculture.
>> Your book describes turning points,
three turning points in agriculture and
agricultural development. Can you give
us an idea? Yeah, there there were more
than three, but three main ones. And um
um during the well, just about the time
of the Civil War, 1862,
of course, um [clears throat] three
major laws were passed which influenced
the change of um agriculture in the
United States. Some of it happened
before with the canal system of course,
but uh they were one was the uh the land
grant act uh that President Lincoln
signed which basically established the
college system that many of us went to
because before that you had to go to
Princeton or some Ivy League school and
that set up a system where everyone
could go to college that had the means
to go to college and get an education.
The other was the Homestead Act, which
uh basically opened the western lands to
anyone that um could settle it and
they'd get 160 acres and if they
improved it over time um over five years
they could get the land for free and
that opened the West opened the West to
production. And the third was the
Intercontinental Railroad Act which
connected the east and west coast so
products could be shipped very cheaply
to the to the east. And after that
farmers in the northeast kept saying,
"No, we can't compete with the West
anymore. We can't compete on any
product. We've lost our grain. We lost
our beef. We've lost our pork. We're
going to lose dairy, too. And the only
thing we can do is to con is to produce
high quality egg products for markets
near our cities and products near where
we live.
>> [clears throat]
>> And yeah, there are certain uh aspects
of geographical aspects uh of the book
about Windham County and Putney and uh
could you describe uh uh what role those
regions played in our agriculture? Well,
they were they they were close to
markets
um and they uh they um they were close
to um to cities and of course they grew
because they could ship and produce
products fairly cheaply. Uh and they
were close to the highway systems. Of
course, the the great debate that took
place in Vermont u and beginning in the
30s of course was should we have a
highway system that connects us to the
markets. The first debate of course was
the uh um the attempt by the federal
government to create a parkway system. a
great deal of debate um about it and uh
the state house and the state senate uh
wanted to know if it should be done. Um
they didn't approve it but they sent it
out for a referendum and it lost by
10,000 votes. Um and uh it's interesting
that in the 50s with the Eisenhower
system that was proposed uh there wasn't
much opposition because that attempt of
a highway system was to basically bring
people out of the cities because of
nuclear war that might occur.
>> Um but u that system really opened
Vermont up to um tourists and people who
could build on ski areas and such. But
it also opened up mar Vermont to
markets. But but transportation was very
critical to Vermont's future and uh
ability to market its products and is
still today.
>> What um what misconceptions? Uh one of
the things you discuss is misconceptions
about uh Vermont uh uh agriculture and
its history. Uh what is misunderstood
about?
Well, I I I I think it it's what's
misunderstood is how it's connected to
the land, how it's connected to the
people, and how it really is part of
what Vermont is known for. It's known
for its value added products, its
cheese, its uh um its connection to the
people. You know, there's been a lot of
um studies done in the past that shows
that Vermont really uh has tried to
protect its scenic byways and and and
infrastructure. But one one of the
perhaps misconceptions is that many
people don't think of Vermont as a farm
state. But over the years it's its
agriculture and land use and uh use of
the land and open open space have given
the Vermont an image it's tried to
protect and tried to further even today.
>> What do you see the future uh of Vermont
agriculture as? Well, I I I think the
future is a diversified agriculture. You
know, we're known worldwide for our
cheeses today. Um we're winning
international awards for having some of
the best cheeses in the world um
produced. Um and our CSAs,
community supported agriculture with
with farmsteads and uh where people can
go and get their products um and it's
fresh and things like that. what's been
known for some time, we can't compete on
the on the national uh level as a
commodity producing state. Um, even our
dairy industry today is challenged. Um,
we only have about 400 plus dairy farms
left in the state of Vermont. uh and
they're all very good producers, but
they're finding out that they really
have to transition to producing a
specialty product um to to uh to survive
because of the uh commodity milk price
keeps challenging their economics. So
diversification on the farm, specialty
products, being close to the consumer,
building those products that the
consumers want in in nearby markets.
That's Vermont's future.
>> Okay. All right. Thanks very much.
>> Thanks, Dennis. Appreciate it. Have a
great week.