Lifestyles

I struggled with what I should title this website section, as no one word seemed to contain the captivating sense of being that was present in my conversations. I would argue that raising sheep and creating fiber crafts are radical acts of resistance in today’s world of industrialized agriculture, synthetic textiles, and fastness. Everyone I spoke to is doing what they do because they love it and sheep/wool bring them joy. I have been deeply inspired by these conversations and hope you are too as you listen to participants talk about creating art, life, and connections.

I find the history of the Merino Mania to be particularly relevant in that many of the same trends have been playing out with dairy cows since. Similarly to sheep, cows can play a beneficial role in farm ecosystems when raised responsibly, however the large scale and concentrated nature of many dairy operations is creating lots of problems in Vermont today. While raising sheep is certainly not easy, I’ve learned that many find the rhythms of shepherding to contribute to a meaningful life.

The education flock at Shelburne Farms

During the second half of the 19th century, while sheep populations were plummeting, the number of dairy cows in Vermont rose by 85%1. In 1868 the Vermont Board of Agriculture published a report stating that five cows could bring in $357 annually, while forty sheep would only bring in $2102. While dairy previously had to be processed into butter or cheese to be sent to distant markets, the invention of refrigerated railcars enabled Vermont farmers to also profit off of fluid milk3. The rapid expansion of the dairy industry mirrored the Merino Mania in many ways, and as dairy became more commercialized, cheese factories and creameries began to pop up around the state. Between 1879 and 1889, butter production in Vermont creameries rose from five thousand pounds to 22 million, making Vermont the leading butter producer in the nation4. By 1900, half of Vermont farms made most of their income through dairy5. As with the commercialization of wool, dairy farmers became dependent on a market in which they had little control6. While farmers were able to stay afloat by shifting to dairy, this choice drastically altered their lifestyles. Raising dairy cows was far more labor intensive than sheep, as cows required frequent feeding and milking7. As sheep pastures were converted into grain fields, farmers mourned the times when they could rest as their sheep grazed on the landscape.

Sources:

  1. Woods, Rebecca J. H. “Green Mountain Merinos: From New England to New South Wales in the Nineteenth Century.‎” Vermont History, vol. 85, no. 1, 2017, pp. 16.
  2. Albers, Jan. Hands on the Land, A History of the Vermont Landscape. The MIT Press, 2000, pp. 211.
  3. Ibid, pp. 208
  4. Kylza, Christopher McGrory, and Stephen C. Trombulak. The Story of Vermont- A Natural and Cultural History. Second Edition., University Press of New England, 2015, pp. 106.
  5. Ibid, pp. 107
  6. Ibid, pp. 108
  7. Woods, pp. 16