Vermont livestock farmers purchasing feed and hauling water
9/4/2025 8:14:06 PM
CATEGORIES:
Agriculture
AFFECTED AREAS:
Vermont
Middlebury, VT
Start Date: 9/4/2025
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Livestock farmers in Vermont report needing to purchase feed and haul water as the entire state is under moderate or severe drought. A farmer in Middlebury bought 2,000 tons of corn from a neighbor as his supply ran out. The corn cost around $100,000 not including the time and labor of harvesting the corn himself. The farm had not had to purchase feed since 1965. Several streamwater gauges and wells are at record lows. A dairy farmer in Orwell has dry wells, so he is hauling up to 5,000 gallons of water per day from a creek for his cattle. He said that some farmers in the area are reporting daily losses of 10 pounds of milk per cow due to the heat. Other farmers have not been able to get a third cutting of hay. VTDigger (Vermont). Sept. 4, 2025.
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