WESTMINSTER — Roger Allbee will speak about his new book, "Turning the Soil: 250 Years of Vermont Agriculture" at the Westminster Institute’s Butterfield Library at 5 p.m. Tuesday, April 8.
Allbee’s book is a distinguished historical book on changes in rural communities, farmers’ activities, agricultural production, and farm policies over a period of more than 250 years. It comprehensively analyzes agriculture from the perspectives of grassroots, state, national, and global levels. It’s not only a history book on Vermont’s agriculture but also a panoramic birds-eye view of the long history of cultivation and marketing farm products by Vermont farmers and how many reinvented themselves to survive. Learn the important part Westminster farmers played in this history.
Albee has a deep connection to Vermont’s agricultural heritage. Growing up in Brookline on a hilltop dairy farm, he witnessed firsthand the resilience and dedication of his ancestors who have farmed the land since 1794. he has a comprehensive background in agricultural policies, international trade, and natural resource management. Allbee served on the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture for the late Rep. Jim Jeffords (I-VT). He worked on the senior staff for the former Farm Credit Banks and Bank of Cooperatives. He served as the Vermont Secretary of Agriculture. He has also been the CEO of Grace Cottage Hospital in Townshend.
The event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.
The Westminster Institute is at 3534 US Route 5.
