Filed under: September 2015 | Tags: Billings Farm and Museum, environmentalist, Farming, Green mountains, health, Jersey cows, maple syrup, Vermont
A Jersey cow rests in her bed at Billings Farm Museum
September 13, 2015
After a health scare, that shook me to the core, my wife and I went to the state of Vermont. I want to do a story on the Billings farm museum, located just outside of a town called Woodstock. This is not the rock and roll Woodstock, that one is in New York 😮 I felt that some time away from work and farm, would be just what I needed to decompress. I , by the grace of God, learned that I do NOT have cancer.
The area around Woodstock Vermont is beautiful. The Green Mountains were spectacular. They were just starting to turn color as they dress for autumn. We came at the tail end of summer and the beginning of “leaf peeper” season. The roads were not crowded. We were able to spend as much time as we wanted looking at anything we desired. It was a nice relaxing trip.
We stayed in a bed and breakfast in the town of Woodstock. The food was extremely good. The peace and quiet found there was just what I needed. We had fun walking the village streets. Those streets look just like a Norman Rockwell painting. It is a town almost stuck in time. The place is almost enchanting.
We also went to a large farm stand where they sold cheese and maple syrup all made by themselves. The cheese is awesome. The maple syrup operation is much like ours, but much bigger. They have 8500 taps. They do boil with wood on a modern evaporator, but like us, they do not use reverse osmosis to remove water from the sap. We do it the old fashioned way, with just heat and time…..you simply can’t rush perfection.
Billings farm was a very nice place. It is a farmstead that showcases life in the 1890’s, but also keeps a modern dairy farm running. The farm has been known for trophy winning Jersey cows for forty years. They still have a barn full of the little brown matrons. The pastures too are filled with heifers coming up to join the milking herd. There are sheep and draft horses too. The museum and tour are very well done. They are informative for sure, but they are set up to show young and old alike, where our food comes from….and that is a very good thing.
The real story for me about the Billings farm, was Mr. Billing’s approach to agriculture. He was a husbandryman for sure, but also an environmentalist. He was also a visionary who could see the promise in the land. He planted trees, used animal manures correctly and employed sustainable farming practices, that the farm still uses today. These practices help make the farm profitable and a good fit for the mountain farms of Vermont.
The Village Inn of Woodstock
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RicelandMeadows 
So glad to hear you are cancer free! Take care!
Comment by Jacklyn September 14, 2015 @ 2:41 pmJacklyn
When a doctor tells a twenty five year chemical worker that he has a “mass” in his abdomen….it is unsettling news. After tests, an MRI, lots of prayer and a few anxious days…it was awesome to hear that all is well. I just need to focus and lose some weight…I can do that!
Comment by ricelandmeadows September 15, 2015 @ 7:03 am