Kelly Beech - Reporter
Chris Nachtwey - Photographer
Phil Taylor's family has been running Glendale Farm for five generations - since 1865, the year the Civil War ended. The entire family is involved with the day to day operation, including Phil's brother Richard. Their 120 Holstein cows produce 70 pounds of milk every day, and 70-hour weeks leave the brothers little free time to explore the internet. They do, however, keep track of supply prices, and breeding prospects on-line with a sluggish 56K connection. The lack of speed is a point of frustration for the Taylors...
The Taylor's are part of the Agri-mark-Cabot Creamery Cooperative in Vermont. The cooperative's membership is aging - and declining. From 1993 to 2003, Vermont lost 806 dairy farms a decline of about 36%. Many of the remaining Cabot farmers take advantage of the co-op's web based resources to help monitor their production quality in real-time...
Putting in the long hours at the Glendale farm doesn’t afford the Taylor’s a great deal of leisure time and they rarely travel. So keeping up with developments in new technology is difficult. But even more of a stretch is trying to stay current with farming trends and issues...
The family is faced with challenges to keep the small farm afloat. With ever fluctuating milk prices and the pressure to sell out or commercialize their operation, the Taylor's are holding true to their family roots. To make ends meet, the brothers log during the winter and make maple syrup in the spring.
Many of Phil’s fellow farmers have branched out and are selling their maple products and organic beef on the web. Phil admits that he isn’t quite ready to embrace the Internet as a marketing tool for the farm. Instead, he says, that may be left up to his 18-year-old son, Charlie…
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