The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS” mentioning the U.S. Dept of Agriculture was published in the Senate section on pages S9416-S9417 on July 27, 1999.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS
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BETH KENNETT AND TRADE MISSION TO IRELAND
Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, one of the real treasures of my State of Vermont are the people who live and work there. Recently, I had the pleasure of leading a trade mission to Ireland with a group of Vermont business owners seeking strategic business alliances to increase trade and tourism between our state and Ireland. One of the members of the delegation, Beth Kennett, traveled to Ireland with specific goals in mind--to increase tourism from Ireland to Vermont and to learn more about agri-tourism.
Beth Kennett is the president of Vermont Farms! as well as a co-
owner, along with her husband Bob, of a dairy farm that also serves as a bed and breakfast. On the trip, Mrs. Kennett was hosted by representatives of the agri-tourism industry and visited several agri-
tourism farms. She was very enthusiastic throughout her stay and commented later on the diversity of her experiences. She said that one day she found herself wearing Wellies and the next she was meeting the Lord and Lady of the Manor.
I can gladly say that our mission was a success. We were able to open up doors for new business relationships and tourism between Ireland and Vermont, while also bringing back information on how to develop agri-
tourism in Vermont. I ask that an article by Associated Press writer David Gram regarding Mrs. Kennett's experience be printed in the record.
The article follows:
Farm life grows as tourism draw in Vermont
(By David Gram)
Rochester, VT. Beth Kennett calls the big, five-story, red barn with its cupola topped with a Holstein-shaped weathervane ``one of the cathedrals of the country.''
And if people from around the world travel to Paris to see the Notre Dame, why not to Rochester's Liberty Hill to see her farm?
In fact, they do. In addition to milking one of the most productive small herds of registered Holsteins in the state, Kennett, her husband Bob and her sons Tom and David--young men who are following their parents into farming--open their sprawling, two-century-old farmhouse to travelers.
They're part of a growing number of Vermont farmers who are bridging the gap between two of the mainstays of Vermont's economy: agriculture and tourism.
The Kennetts' house dates from 1825, the barn from 1889, there are splendid views of the surrounding hills, a mile of frontage on the White River with several good swimming holes, and hiking trails in the abutting Green Mountain National Forest. Down in the well kept barn, there are 65 milkers and, occasionally, a newborn calf to marvel at.
Kennett got into the hospitality business when a big drop in prices paid to farmers for milk in 1984 prompted her and her family to look for new sources of income.
``We took stock of our assets, and decided that since we had this big old farmhouse with 18 rooms, we might as well take advantage of it,'' she recalled.
Now she's got a regular clientele of guests who return year after year, she's president of a statewide association of farmers who offer lodging, tours and other amenities for visitors, and she's just back from joining Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., on a trade mission to Ireland.
For a full dinner, big breakfast and charming country lodgings complete with wide-board floors, flowered wallpaper and a claw-foot bathtub, Kennett charges $70 per adult and
$30 per child. The house can accommodate 15 guests and occasionally is the destination for reunions of several branches of the same family.
``Not only has it been a diversification of income for the farm, but it's been invaluable in the number of friends we've made over the years. And it's a wonderful opportunity to educate the public about agriculture,'' she said.
Kennett is president of an association called VT Farms!, which has grown to 56 members in less than three years of existence.
Their offerings range from pick-your own strawberries and apples to wine tasting to petting zoos. Some 15 to 20 accommodate overnight guests, according to Ron Fisher, who tracks the industry for the Vermont Department of Agriculture.
``What we're looking for with agri-tourism is to literally make this another revenue stream for farmers,'' Fisher said.
``It's not going to replace the milk check, but it's another source of cash flow to the individual who's going to open up the farm to agri-tourism.''
Agri-tourism may be due for a boost from the federal government. Rep. Bernard Sanders, I-Vt., announced earlier this month that the U.S. House had approved a $1 million appropriation for a pilot project to promote the fledgling industry.
Kennett said if some funds become available, she may look for Vermont to apply some of the ideas she picked up in Ireland, where she said farm-based tourism is widely practiced, accepted and considered an integral part of the country's allure for visitors.
Fisher said state officials hope agri-tourism can help stanch the loss of farms in Vermont. There were more than 20,000 in 1950, the fast majority of them dairy operations; today there are fewer than 3,000 dairy farms in the state. Kennett said there were 11 farms shipping milk when she and her husband moved to Rochester from Addison 20 years ago; today, she said, theirs is the last farm in Rochester shipping milk.
Blending a working farm with a hospitality business is a lot of work. Kennett said she's up at milking time to make breakfast for her guests, and spends afternoon preparing dinner for her family and up to 15 guests.
But she said she has no complaints. It's been a great way to beat the isolation which can be a feature of Vermont farm life. She doesn't need to visit the world's concert halls, because there's a family of accomplished violinists who visit every year from Newton, Mass., and put on a concert at the farm.
Then there's the art professor and his class who arrive en masse for a week occasionally. They paint the surrounding scenery and then put on an art show at week's end. And there's the magician from New York who comes and puts on a show each Fourth of July.
``I don't need to go off and see the world,'' Kennett said.''The world comes to me.''
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