The last of the herd in Randolph Center
Published: 10-02-2024 5:31 PM |
Randolph Center farmer Joe Williams, 74, sent the last of his milking herd to auction on Tuesday. Though no longer milking, he will keep 15 beef cows and continue doing field work at the farm.
Williams grew up on a small family farm nearby. After attending Vermont Technical College to study agriculture and working for the state highway department for five years following the opening of Interstate 89, he took over the dairy farm from the Carpenter family on Sept. 15, 1975.
“I try to look at it on the bright side," he said of retiring from milking. "I’ll putter around with a few beef, sell some feed, cut my wood and maybe even take the afternoon off.”