WEST ADDISON, Vt.

At ‘This Place in History’, we’re making some new friends in West Addison. I’m with Executive Director of the Vermont Historical Society Steve Perkins.

“We’re at Kayhart Brothers Dairy. I’m so excited to learn all about this historic farm, but also this really cool modern building that we’re in. So, Steve and Tim Kayhart are here to talk with us,” began Perkins.

“We moved here in 1979. My parents moved to the Vergennes area in the late ’60s from New Jersey on a family farm there. The land that we’re on now was part of the Bodette Farm and it was the Bodette family that owned this prior to my brother and myself. Their farm was here for seven or eight generations. There was a sign on the outside of the barn that said 1800-and-something. They’ve been here for a real long time, back to the days of farming with horses,” said Steve Kayhart.

“I think the meaning of dairy or agriculture in general to the state of Vermont is a huge, huge thing; from an economic standpoint and from environmental and just taking care of the land for people to enjoy the beautiful views of the state that we have,” added Tim Kayhart.

“Dairy has always been in our family’s blood. There’s three separate Kayhart Farms that are within a 20 mile radius of here. It’s kinda something that’s just been passed on through the generations,” said Steve Kayhart.

A large, new farm building occupies a former field at the Dairy.

“To rewind the clock a little bit, my brother and I were in a partnership with my mother and father for 20 plus years in the older facilities up front next to the roadside. And we ended up having to reinvest in our infrastructure. We were milking in 45 to 50-year-old milking parlors that were just tired and a lot of maintenance, not very labor efficient. So we knew that if it was for us to be sustainable in the future we needed to be with new equipment. It was a big bite and it’s scary but at the same time we’re confident in our abilities and our people that are with us that we’ll be fine in the future. So, it’s exciting,” said Tim Kayhart.

On July 28, 2018, the Kayharts will be hosting Vermont Breakfast on the Farm. 

“Both Steve and I are extremely excited about this event that’s coming as a chance to educate and open our doors and show people what we do everyday and why we do it. We think it’s a tremendous opportunity to reach out to the community, people near and far,” concluded Tim Kayhart.

Reflecting on dairy past, at ‘This Place in History’!

To reserve your free tickets to visit Kayhart Brothers Dairy this Summer, click here.

For more from our ‘This Place in History’ series, click here.

To view a map of Vermont’s roadside historic markers, click here.