> My father, and most of my 8 uncles, all left the state for jobs in their 20s. None of them wanted to stay on the dairy farm. "Too much work for too little money".

Thanks for your reply! I did Ag advocacy for about a decade (90's), mostly focused on feed costs, cull prices, finding labor, crop rotation, and a good chunk on succession and its prospects. in '99 I proposed doing a survey called 2020 - prospects of farming. Its a lot more than counting wheels:) I even suggested the Land Trust make allowances/exceptions to permit a co-housing plan in which those who farmed it lived rent-free, as it were, to address the succession issue. Not that it was a good idea, per say, so much as trying to think outside the box.

Kids leave the State since forever and its been a minute that your education taxes aren't making elsewhere more literate :) Fact is, for the rural parts, its boring AF; specially if not in a clique. We've done shit for supporting college because of it; tourism and second homes pays the bills (mostly) and keeps the trades in decent pay, so and raising (non-native) taxes is a lead balloon.

So instead we adapt to the new realities, which is what VSU is trying to do now due to lowering enrollments and higher costs. They're going Univ of Phoenix - Vermont Edition. Re-purposing libraries because mostly everyone doesn't go there for books. Cutting back sports because even the NCAA class is 3rd tier, few poor or minority students are going to turn pro and transpo costs alone are sky-high. VT doesn't need sports more than academic excellence, nor should it have to recruit from poor inner cities to boost enrollment. You'd be gobsmacked to know how many NVU students are 1st generation to get past HS.

Bet $5 will get you $8 closing Johnson w/in 3-5 years if not sooner. I don't envy those calling the shots, this sub is full of backlash and well-deserved calls for transparency. I know this bec wife is in academic support and I feel people's pain over uncertainty; but its the right (hard) call.

Encouraging teleworkers and knowledgeworkers is the right call, there should always be a livelihood in trades, in logging, in beef and hemp and like, if not in dairy. Dairy consolidation aside, my sis works an organic outfit (100ish head) near Poultney and they are getting by OK, but the parents are still in charge.

So, please don't think I'm complaining more than calling it as I see it. Most all commute 1hr to a job, outside of ChitCo the State is rural AF, Glover is no worse off for the hippies and Peter's circus, nor is MontP for the few still alive:)

Peace Out, bub!