A view of Bennington, VT from Carpenter Hill.
This was a new holiday to me when I arrived in Vermont. I tried scheduling a project requiring assistance from Agency of Agriculture personnel one August 16 when I learned that this date was a state holiday. Interestingly enough, it turns out the battle was actually fought across the state line in New York. But the Green Mountain Boys were there and we in Vermont celebrate the victory they helped achieve over General Burgoyne during the Revolutionary War.
Colonel Seth Warner's statue at the Bennington Battle Monumen
Today I talked with an Extension colleague in Texas who has helped develop a communications strategy to reach livestock and poultry producers who aren’t tied into networks of commercial production channels. It’s called the Animal Health Network and can be adapted to any state. Basically it is a way for the state veterinarian to provide information or alerts to backyard or hobby farm livestock and poultry owners through Extension and feed retailers. Michigan has been implementing the concept this year. This is something Vermont should consider doing.
