The Working Farm - Then and Now

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.

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.

Following the Billings 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 regained its former importance. 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 two decades, 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.