"So one question I get a lot from folks who watch our videos is why the heck would we ever pick to try to start a farm here in Northern Vermont? Like does farming in Vermont even make sense and is it worth it?" The speaker posed a question that likely resonates with many considering agriculture in a region known for its challenging climate. "And as with most things, the answer is it depends and it is wildly complicated." The scene then shifted to the morning farm routine, greeted by the enthusiastic barks of the resident canines. "Good morning my large white Farm dogs! How are you doing this morning? Huh guys? Hi Abby dog! Hi Toby dog! All right guys, let's get this day going. It's a chilly one. It is like uh 15° Fahrenheit and really, really windy right now." The speaker immediately addressed the primary concern about farming in Vermont: the weather. "The cold isn't that bad, but the wind makes it hard to do your ch, which as it pertains to today's video, is probably the first place to start and the first thing that most people think about when they think about farming in Vermont, where the reality is that yes, we do live in a cold climate, probably for about 6 months a year you can have snow within those 6 months." The farm's seasonal duality was described. "And our farm has two distinct modes where we'll have like basically a warm season mode and a cold season mode, and that cold season mode tends to last, I don't know, probably about 5 months out of the year." The impact of climate change was noted, but the historical reality of prolonged sub-zero temperatures remained a significant factor. "And while lately with climate change it seems like things have been warming up a little a little bit, traditionally you could go weeks at a clip without the temperatures creeping up over the zero Fahrenheit line. So the farming weather in Vermont is not necessarily everybody's cup of tea." A brief check on the birds ensued, with a potential nesting goose observed. "How are my birds doing this morning? Huh? Hey, are you trying to build a nest right there, lady? You have all the posture of a goose looking to start a nest. Hey you chickens, get out of there! You're not food time yet! Release the quacken!" The morning feeding ritual commenced. "All right, my Hungry Birds, it's time for your grub." The speaker then explained their early decision to raise waterfowl, specifically citing their cold hardiness. "You know, when I determined that we were going to have a Farm in Vermont, pretty early on I made the decision to start raising water fowl because they're exceptionally cold hearty. Like a duck or A Goose's coat is basically made out of down, and so it's like they're wearing their own winter coat themselves, and so they do a pretty good job living in an environment like this." The main challenge with waterfowl in a cold climate was identified. "The hardest part with raising water fowl in this kind of climate is dealing with the winter water. All right, hydrant, don't fail me now." The hydrant thankfully worked, but the need for frequent water changes in freezing temperatures was mentioned. "It works darn nearly every time on a cold day like this where the temps are actually going to only get colder today too, I'll probably have to dump the water I'm pouring right now at around like 1 or 2:00 and I will repour it so that they have fresh water that isn't complet completely frozen over." Despite the cold, the speaker found electric-free watering systems more reliable than heated ones for most animals. "But despite living in a cold climate, I don't actually have to heat my water for really any of my animals other than the dogs and cats at this point. I find that an electric free system is just easier and more practical and more predictable in the winter months versus trying to have something that does have like heaters that can fail or create problems with the birds." Canine assistance was enlisted for bedding duties. "Come on, Abby dog! I need your help! We got to spread some betting for the birds! I know it's your favorite time! You're excited about what's to next! I know, I know it's your favorite!" Abby's enthusiasm for spreading straw was evident. "Yeah, Abby dog loves spreading the bird bedding. I use straw like this for the winter bedding because I find it insulates for the birds best, and basically I just keep piling it on top of their manure, and then by the time the spring rolls around, I'll actually have a whole bunch of this stuff composted, and I can use it in gardens or use it in the orchard or really anywhere that I need compost on the farm." Preparations for the goose breeding season were underway. "So I have officially set up the nests for the geese for the 2025 breeding season. It's still a little bit early to watch them start laying, but it's getting close enough to the point where we should start getting goose eggs, I don't know, probably in the next 4 to 6 weeks if I had to guess." A strategy to prevent chickens from fouling the goose nests was explained. "In previous years on the farm, I would actually set those nests up really early, and the problem would be that the chickens would actually start to roost on them and sleep on it and then they' poop and then the geese didn't want to lay their nest in the poop, and so I waited a couple of months before the chickens were still 100% trained to their hoop cop so that way they would ignore this space, and so they haven't been nesting on it, which is a good thing." Kitchen scraps were provided for the chickens. "So we've got some assorted kitchen scraps for the chickens. They absolutely love this stuff. Here you go gals, dig in." The speaker then returned to the initial question, acknowledging the beauty of Vermont's other seasons. "So yes, farming in Vermont is cold in the winter, but it's also beautiful in the summer and fall. Maybe like late spring mud season, which is kind of the period of time that happens after the Deep winter but before like true spring actually hits, it's kind of gross too. It's actually probably my least favorite season here in Vermont." The glories of summer and fall were extolled. "But yes, the summers are absolutely glorious, and I could argue it's the best possible climate on Earth here in the summer months. We have plenty of daylight for growing stuff, the weather never gets too hot, you know, most summer days you're going to have highs in like the 70s, you know, sometimes it gets a little hotter, sometimes it stays a little cooler, but it's actually pretty nice overall. It's not all that humid. Those summer months are just a great great climate and atmosphere." The balance between harsh winters and the beauty of other seasons was presented as a reason to farm in Vermont. "And so yes, you do have to contend with the harshness of winter, but I feel like that's canel out by the glory of Summer, and our Falls might be some of the most beautiful times on Earth anywhere on the planet. Like it's incredible when the trees just start to explode with color." The speaker concluded the discussion of climate by mentioning the routine of breaking ice in the cattle trough. "And so I don't know, when it comes to the climate and Seasons, it's actually one of the reasons why I like farming here. Time to break off the water trough for the cattle this morning." The speaker then shifted to another significant challenge of farming in Northern Vermont. "I mean, I guess that is the thing about winter farming around here, if you're used to it and you prepare yourself for it, it actually isn't that big a deal. I feel like in my earliest years working out here, I'd make a much bigger deal of things than I do now because I don't know, I've just gotten used to it and I've developed systems to manage it. So as long as you dress appropriately and have ways to help your animals deal with the climate, it's not that big a deal." Interaction with Betty Rubble the cow was shown. "What do you think, Betty Rubble? I just cleared out your trough for you. You're welcome to get a drink, but of course I know the thing you girls really want right now is some fresh hay." The quiet satisfaction of watching the cattle eat hay in winter was described. "So it's not quite as peaceful as watching the cattle graze in summer, but there is a certain Serenity to after I drop the Bales watching the cattle just devour those things, and I don't know, it's kind of nice to see." The economic realities of farming in a rural, less populated area were then addressed. "More than climate, if I was going to talk about the challenges of farming out here, particularly in Vermont's Northeast kingdom, is actually the economics of it all, where you know, we are in the second least populated state in the poorest most corner of that state. And so if you're thinking about trying to farm, and particularly if you're thinking about regenerative farming where typically the business model only works if you're charging premium pricing, that actually can be a challenge for you." The need to expand beyond the local market was highlighted. "And you're going to find you have to expand your Marketplace, whether it be focusing on places like Burlington or Boston or New York, or like I've done with the internet. I feel like just trying to focus specifically on the market that we're in is hard." The economics were deemed a significant challenge. "And so if I was going to talk about challenges of farming in Vermont, that would most definitely be another one on list." However, the affordability of land was presented as a counterpoint. "That said, one part of the economics is still relative to other parts of the country. Land is more affordable here, and while you have a relatively small Marketplace and Market opportunity, the cost of living and your expenses are relatively High similar to other parts of the Northeast. And so that's definitely a challenge. I think the upside though is when you compare land prices to other parts of the Northeast, this is still arguably one of the most uh affordable parts of New England and just the Northeast in general." The appeal of Vermont's agricultural heritage was also mentioned. "And so definitely worth considering if you're just looking for Parcels of land and looking for space, this is a pretty good option, and this region specifically, but Vermont in general just has such good agricultural Heritage and I don't know, just kind of a Vibe I would argue that it actually makes starting a farm out here a little bit easier than if you were in a more urban or Suburban type of environment." Soil conditions were noted as a potential challenge. "I think the other thing that's worth noting is that the soil here can make things a little challenging. You can find like our farm actually has really good agriculturally significant soils for the state, but you can find other parts of Vermont that are exceptionally acidic or exceptionally Rocky, and I mean even our farm, even though it's really good soil, it's very Rocky, and so that makes doing certain projects like burying water lines rather difficult." The goats were then greeted. "Hi goats! I know you're mad at me because you're getting fed last in the rotation today, but come come come, we'll get you some food, huh? Yes, my little goats, you're doing really good this morning, huh? Telemachus, Barracus, Len." The strong sense of community in Vermont was highlighted as a significant positive. "You know, as I was saying that there's like more of a agricultural culture here, I think there's also a lot more uh Community Spirit here. Vermont's one of those places that just is very focused on community and connecting in with your neighbors and that sort of thing more so than really I think pretty much anywhere else I've ever lived." The state motto, "Freedom and Unity," was cited. "In fact, like emblazoned on the State's flag and I think it might actually even be the motto is the idea of freedom and unity kind of working together." A theory linking Vermont's geology to its strong community spirit was shared, contrasting it with New Hampshire. "You know, there's this Theory out there that I've heard from a couple of different folks that the geology of Vermont is what makes it so community-minded, particularly when you compare it to the geology of New Hampshire, which in my opinion is kind of like almost the Bizarro Vermont. Even if you look it out a map, the two are flipped upside down. This theory that I have heard is that because of the mountain structure in Vermont, it made it very hard for little communities to travel from one part of the state to the other. It's very much a you can't get there from here type of state." The impact of harsh winters on fostering community was also mentioned. "And particularly when you have that plus the harsh Winters particularly that we had back in the day, those two things forced people to have to rely on their neighbors a lot more versus when you compare it to a place like New Hampshire which had much easier north south travel and made it easier for people to remain relatively independent and not have to rely on their neighbors nearly as much." A resource for further exploration of this theory was recommended. "And there's actually a whole Brave Little State episode on this topic that's worth listening to. I'll leave it down in the links below if you want to hear more, and they do a much better job of explaining that one than I do, but I bring it up just because I feel like if I'm talking about the relative strengths of Vermont, the fact that this place is so community-minded is in my opinion very beautiful and one of the reasons I love this place so gosh darn much." A missing chicken prompted a brief interlude. "Now you guys might be noticing that our newest resident to the goat yard, that little black chicken, is missing, and that's because she decided to move on and find herself a new home. Rise and grind weirdos, come on out! Yes, that's right, she decided to join the weird chickens. I don't even know how she snuck in here, but she did, and so now she's living with the weird chicken chickens, but I don't think I can actually keep her with the weird chickens just because I don't want to have too many chickens in this flock. And so sorry girl, you're going to need to come with me. Come on girl, I want you to come with me. Look, you're going to have so much more extra space. You have all your sisters here. This is where you belong. Be free!" The chicken's reluctance to leave the geese was humorous. "She's like yes, but I also have to contend with the geese." The speaker concluded by summarizing the factors that make farming in Vermont worthwhile for them. "To put a finer point on it all, if you're willing to deal with the cold and you're willing to find ways to adapt and you're willing to be a part of a community and you're willing to be kind of innovative in terms of how your farm makes money, then yes, I do think farming in Vermont is worth it." A closing remark and call to action ended the video. "I hope you guys enjoyed this video. Feel free to check out any of our other videos, and we'll be back again real soon with another one. Thanks for watching everybody."