Visitors at the opening ceremony of Rutland Vermont’s Activist Farmers Photo Exhibition at Griswold Library.
by Wai Phyo Myint
Green Mountain College’s Griswold library hosted a photo exhibition featuring portrait pictures of local farmers, along with their stories.
The exhibition, titled ‘Vermont’s Activist Farmers,’ was organized by Rural Vermont, which is a non-profit farmer organization. Photos, taken by a local photographer, Corey Hendrickson, will be exhibited at the library for a month from February 5. The organization will hold the exhibition at different libraries throughout the State for the whole winter season.
The exhibition featuring the portrait pictures of 15 farmer activists highlighted the challenges facing family farms and the survival of local farms in Vermont rural community.
Rural Vermont has advocated for economic justice for family farmers, calling for flexible rules and regulations should be applied in the State of Vermont.
Member farmers of Rural Vermont are fighting for the rights to sell red meat prepared on farms to their pre-ordered customer and to grow the hemp without federal applications, licenses, or fees.
According to the Federal and Vermont agencies of agriculture, it said, “The only legal way to sell red meant in the state of Vermont is by having the livestock slaughtered in an inspected facility.”
“We can sell raw milk but both federal and State laws prevent farmers to sell our other products, like cheese or yogurt, we make. So, we, farmers, have to sell our own local product illegally,” a local farmer, Mr. John Pollard, whose photo is exhibited, said at the exhibition opening ceremony.
Mr. Pollard said that local farmers could not afford for required facilities required according to the Federal and State rules and regulations. “We do not have freedom even to sell our own foods. We do not have rights even to eat what we want.” Mr. Pollard, who is also an activist farmer working with Rural Vermont, said.
“I am doing exactly what I want to do. So, I’ve no plan to abandon my life as a farmer but I want to serve my country in a larger scale,” John Pollard, who is a farmer from Shrewsbury, said. Mr. Pollard has been working in farming for more than 20 years, and he owns 14 Jersey dairy cows.
Rural Vermont was founded by local farmers in 1985 during their collective struggle for fair taxation. It has about 900 members. Rural Vermont has given from a main role to pass legislation that allows raw milk in 2008.
