Vermont
Will Vt. farmers face high feed prices this winter after our wet summer?
TUNBRIDGE, Vt. (WCAX) – There’s an old saying, “Make hay while the sun shines.” But with the soggy summer we’ve been having, the opportunities for farmers just haven’t been there. And that’s having an impact on quality and prices.
The wet summer has farmers worried about the winter with feed prices that are through the roof simply because farmers can’t get on their fields to mow the grass.
Grass is one of the most important crops a farmer grows. It feeds the animals in the barn.
But as Clifton Pease feeds his cows on his family’s third-generation farm in Tunbridge, dried hay is hard to come by.
“We’ve actually had to put duals on our tractor to get over the land. We are having to chop one way. There is feed that we have just left behind,” Pease said.
Scars in the soil from tractor treads are evidence of the frequent rainfall. Right now, the Pease Family Farm has only eight round hay bales in storage. During a regular year, they would have around 200. To make matters worse, they’re using more feed than normal because the cows can’t graze as often.
“Sometimes they can’t go out at all because of the moisture in the ground. Being so wet when they are grazing, they are taking the roots and all, and they are punching up the land,” Pease explained.
Sunny weather this week has farmers hitting the fields. The Pease family is on their second cut of the season with the fourth generation driving the tractor. On a typical year, it would be their third or fourth time mowing already.
“We may have to turn to New York and New Hampshire and Massachusetts and maybe the Midwest to supply some of our feed,” Vt. Agriculture Secretary Anson Tebbetts said.
The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets is working on developing a website that will connect farmers who are buying and selling.
“We’ll be looking to other business, other farmers from across the region to maybe publicize, advertise their feed for our Vermont farmers,” Tebbetts said.
“Probably stuff will have to be trucked in from a long distance,” Pease said. “When you get trucked in feed, that gets very expensive.”
In some cases that means double the cost, an added strain on an industry that continues to lose family farms.
But this farmer is ready to weather the storm.
“This may be a hard year for us but when you look back at what my parents had to go through, you know they had tough times, too,” Pease said.
Vermont ag officials are working with the federal delegation and the USDA to see if any relief may be available to farmers who are feeling the pinch in their wallets this winter.
Copyright 2023 WCAX. All rights reserved.
Vermont
Vermont girl, 14, kills herself after relentless bullying at school over mom’s heath issues
A Vermont girl, 14, died by suicide after allegedly being relentlessly bullied at school over her mother’s heath issues. Isabelle Vezina-Dykeman’s mom underwent a brain surgery that reportedly left her with a shuttered eye.
Isabelle was a freshman at the Mill School in Winooski, which is an alternative high school for students with complex needs. “She was excited about the school year, excited about being a freshman,” her mother, Heather Miller, told WCAX. Heather described her daughter as a “spunky” teen who “loved to dance” and ice skate.
‘Devastated by the loss’
Heather said Isabelle faced constant bullying at school, with text messages teasing her about how her mother looks.When she returned from school on September 15, visibly upset, Heather decided to give her some space. “I thought I was doing the right thing, but in 35 minutes, our whole lives changed,” Heather said.
That night, Isabelle killed herself. The Mill School said that it is now investigating Heather’s claims of bullying.
“We, at the Mill School, have been devastated by the loss of one of our students,” the school said in a statement. “We are working with the appropriate agencies and continue to provide counseling support.”
Heather revealed that her daughter’s organs, which were donated, helped save the lives of seven people. Another child received her eyes.
This incident comes months after a 10-year-old Indiana boy killed himself after being bullied at school for several days. Sammy Teusch’s family alleged thatthey complained to the school at least 20 times last year. Sammy’s family insisted that the school knew their son was being bullied, with his father saying, “They knew this was going on. They knew this was going on.”
Discussing suicides can be triggering for some. However, suicides are preventable. If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
Vermont
The New England Patriots aren’t Vermont’s favorite NFL team, study says. Here’s who is
Julian Edelman believes Pats are primed for success after Week 1 win
Former Patriots WR Julian Edelman explains how New England’s Week 1 win versus the Bengals are going to set them up for success moving forward.
Sports Seriously
You’d think Vermonters would root for the New England Patriots since they’re part of the region the team is named after.
A new report says that Vermont sports fans actually favor the New York Giants over the Patriots.
A report by the sports betting company BetMGM studying states’ most popular NFL teams found that both Connecticut and Vermont’s search data show that the Giants are more popular than the Patriots.
“For the most part, states show the strongest support for their home teams, but there are two notable exceptions where this isn’t the case. Ironically, the New England Patriots have some turncoats,” the report said.
BetMGM came to this conclusion by analyzing Google Trends data.
So, if the findings of this report are accurate, why would the Giants be more popular in Vermont and Connecticut than the Patriots?
Well, one reason may be geography. Vermont and Connecticut both border New York, so it makes sense that people in those states would gravitate toward a New York team.
But using that logic, Massachusetts could also favor the Giants because Massachusetts also borders New York.
While that it is true, the Patriots have Massachusetts roots, as they were originally named the Boston Patriots during its years in the American Football League. That changed in 1971 when they became an NFL team, moved into their Foxboro stadium and became the New England Patriots, according to ESPN.
Another reason why some Vermonters may cheer the Giants over the Patriots might be because the Giants used to train in Vermont.
The Giants trained at St. Michael’s College in Colchester during the summers from 1956 to 1960. They would stay in dormitories on the campus and practice on turf behind what are now the Alumni Hall and Lyons Hall dorm buildings.
That may explain the affection for the New York team.
Elizabeth Murray contributed to the reporting of this story.
Rin Velasco is a trending reporter. She can be reached at rvelasco@gannett.com.
Vermont
The New England Patriots aren't Vermont's favorite NFL team, study says. Here's who is
You’d think Vermonters would root for the New England Patriots since they’re part of the region the team is named after.
A new report says that Vermont sports fans actually favor the New York Giants over the Patriots.
A report by the sports betting company BetMGM studying states’ most popular NFL teams found that both Connecticut and Vermont’s search data show that the Giants are more popular than the Patriots.
“For the most part, states show the strongest support for their home teams, but there are two notable exceptions where this isn’t the case. Ironically, the New England Patriots have some turncoats,” the report said.
BetMGM came to this conclusion by analyzing Google Trends data.
So, if the findings of this report are accurate, why would the Giants be more popular in Vermont and Connecticut than the Patriots?
Well, one reason may be geography. Vermont and Connecticut both border New York, so it makes sense that people in those states would gravitate toward a New York team.
But using that logic, Massachusetts could also favor the Giants because Massachusetts also borders New York.
While that it is true, the Patriots have Massachusetts roots, as they were originally named the Boston Patriots during its years in the American Football League. That changed in 1971 when they became an NFL team, moved into their Foxboro stadium and became the New England Patriots, according to ESPN.
Another reason why some Vermonters may cheer the Giants over the Patriots might be because the Giants used to train in Vermont.
The Giants trained at St. Michael’s College in Colchester during the summers from 1956 to 1960. They would stay in dormitories on the campus and practice on turf behind what are now the Alumni Hall and Lyons Hall dorm buildings.
That may explain the affection for the New York team.
Elizabeth Murray contributed to the reporting of this story.
Rin Velasco is a trending reporter. She can be reached at rvelasco@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Patriots aren’t Vermont’s favorite NFL team, study says. Here’s who is
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