Week 4: Immersed in the Farm Series

I am one month into my internship, and although I’m thoroughly immersed in the Farm Series, I also feel as though I’ve just begun to scratch the surface of the information contained within. I definitely did not fully grasp the scope of this collection when I first started working with the archival recordings, and I’m not sure I fully grasp it now, but–woah–it is an incredible well to draw from. 

The material I’ve gone through so far only spans a few years, 1988-1990, so when thinking about what it all means, I’m trying to keep in mind that the interviews captured a very specific moment in time; what the farmers talk about in the recordings is not only colored by their earlier life experience but also by the socio-economic situation for farmers in the U.S in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. 

In a 1988 interview with Phil Waldo of Brookfield, Vermont, Waldo discusses some of the changes he’s noticed in weather patterns over his lifetime. Here's an excerpt from the transcript of that interview: 

Phil Waldo:  “Yeah, this is not what we have considered to be a normal season, but this is the way it's going to be. We have warmed up 30 degrees in 50 years….. Farmers live by weather.”  

Upon a cursory search into life for farmers in 1988, I found that particular year saw unprecedented drought across the U.S. This would have undoubtedly sown uncertainty among those who make their living from the land and depend upon the weather. There are, of course, numerous other factors that affected attitudes and practical economic situations for farmers at this time; for example, the Cold War and nuclear fears were beginning to taper off. It goes without saying that a collection of interviews of this size covers perspectives from various living situations and political situations, but there is a throughline of change and uncertainty of what the future holds for farmers in Vermont.

Several of the interviewees also talked about seeing more abandoned or rundown farms as compared to when they had started farming. Humans in general tend toward nostalgia, and in our current 2026 socio-political climate, there is certainly a heavy push toward nostalgia and “good ol’ days” romanticization of the past. I think it would be easy to listen through the Farm Series and come to the conclusion that farming used to be much better and that we have lost far too much in our modern lives. I believe, however, that the story most of these farmers have to tell is much more nuanced and compelling than that. Barbara Carpenter of Cabot spoke about change over time in her 1990 interview: 

Barbara Carpenter: “We mustn’t ever think that this farming economy’s been stable, certainly not in this part of the world. I mean, It's such a short time historically that this land has been farmed and it’s gone through cataclysmic changes …. That's the only thing that's been constant, is the terrific changes.”

In many of the interviews I’ve listened to thus far, there is extensive talk about the ways people are able to maintain their farms through change. The main throughline I’ve noticed in virtually all interviews is that the farmers who have continued on during this time period are the ones who have many sources of income, the ones who are resourceful with what they have at their disposal, and the ones who have been able to adapt to modern changes. Some of these farmers milk, sugar, log, forage, sell fruits, furs, baskets, etc., and countless other ventures to make it through each year. Though dairy farming is common in Vermont, none of the farmers interviewed were solely focused on milk production. 

In the Farm Series interviews, I hear an incredible amount of grit, perseverance, and resilience. Many of the farmers in this collection express a deep love for what they do, and I believe these farmers carried on, at least in part, because of their love of farming and also their willingness to adapt and change. That willingness kept them going and, for future generations, afforded preservation of some of the traditions and craft of farming that they had always known. Vermont farmers helped to sustain tradition while always having an eye to the future.