[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 107 (Tuesday, July 27, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9416-S9417]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         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

[[Page S9417]]

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:

               [From the Associated Press, June 23, 1999]

               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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