History of the Farm

The Billings Farm was established in 1871 by Frederick Billings, a native Vermonter who became known for his work as a lawyer, conservationist, pioneer in reforestation and scientific farm management, and railroad builder. Billings set out to make his 270-acre farm a model dairy operation. In 1884 he hired George Aitken, an innovative and successful professional farm manager. The farm imported cattle directly from the Isle of Jersey, kept careful records of milk production, and bred selectively to improve the herd. Deeply concerned with the desperate condition of Vermont's forest cover, Billings planted more than 10,000 trees in the Woodstock area, putting into practice ideas that were proposed by an earlier resident of the farm, George Perkins Marsh. Marsh is recognized as one of this country's first conservationists.

By 1890, the year that Frederick Billings died, the Billings Farm had been expanded to nearly 1,000 acres and was widely acknowledged for its premier Jersey herd, Southdown sheep, and Berkshire hogs, as well as its extensive butter-making operation which produced 5,000 pounds of butter annually.

Three years later, at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago, cows from the Billings herd took top honors in the dairy divisions. Billings' Princess Honoria, was crowned the champion Jersey three-year-old and reserve champion for cows of all ages. Lily Garfield, winner of the butter test, left Chicago with the designation "Champion Heifer of the World." The herd's performance at the exposition was the victorious culmination of the Billings Farm's early years.

Following the Billings/Aitken era, the farm experienced several periods of change, including a successful commercial dairy operation beginning in the 1940s. In the mid-1970s, the breeding of championship-caliber cows resumed. A string of regional show winnings throughout the 1970s and '80s, culminated when Billings Top Rosanne won top honors in both American and Canadian competitions, making her perhaps the finest Jersey in North America.

During the last decade, while continuing to breed excellent Jerseys and produce milk, the farm has developed an educational mission in conjunction with the Billings Farm & Museum, a museum devoted to rural life in east-central Vermont. The farm and museum have been merged into a single entity, sharing the mission of preserving this historic farm, as well as educating the many thousands who visit annually.

Our goal is to reach significant numbers of Americans to convey an understanding and appreciation of the importance of dairy farming and rural life.