As drought persists, livestock farmers in Vermont are hurting

As drought persists, livestock farmers in Vermont are hurting

Nearing the end of summer, at least half the state is dry enough to threaten food and water access for farm animals like dairy cows.

As Drought Persists, Livestock Farmers in Vermont Are Hurting

MONTPELIER, Vt. — George Foster, a third-generation farmer in Middlebury, cut corn on a neighbor’s farm on Tuesday to help feed his 950 cows after this summer’s drought shrunk his own crop. The 2,000 tons of additional feed cost roughly $100,000, Foster said, not including the labor of harvesting the corn and trucking it home to his dairy farm. The last time the 2,300-acre farm had to buy extra feed was in 1965, Foster said. The U.S. Drought Mon…