[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 107 (Tuesday, June 26, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E918-E919]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING 4 CORNERS FARM

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. PETER WELCH

                               of vermont

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 26, 2018

  Mr. WELCH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Gray Family and 
their 4 Corners Farm in South Newbury, Vermont for a remarkable 40 
years of growing quality food for Vermonters.
  For owners Bob and Kim Gray, July 1, 2018 also marks their 40th 
wedding anniversary. Like many farming partnerships, theirs is a tested 
one based on mutual admiration and respect, a major factor in their 
collective success in growing food, a farm, and a family.
  Their story is unique. Both Bob and Kim are former members of the 
U.S. Ski Team. Bob represented the United States in cross country 
skiing at the 1968 and 1972 Olympics. Kim

[[Page E919]]

was a competitive World Cup downhill ski racer. Both Vermonters, they 
met in 1975 while training. Their mutual dream of running a farm took 
root. Kim studied agriculture at Vermont Technical College. In 1978 
they got married and decided to channel their athletic energy and skill 
into farming the land in Vermont's Connecticut River Valley.
  They started growing produce in Hartland's Four Corners where they 
rented a 40-acre plot and sold produce at the farmers' market in 
Norwich. By the fall of 1981, they had saved up enough money to make a 
down payment on an old farmhouse in South Newbury. The following year, 
they moved the farm there, started a family, and have been farming ever 
since.
  Today, the 4 Corners Farm is a family affair. Bob and Kim's sons, 
Peter and Charlie, together with Peter's partner Marie, all help manage 
the farm. Peter returned home to Vermont after receiving a degree from 
Montana State University and Charlie came home after serving in Iraq 
with the U.S. Marine Corps. Their daughter, Molly, a Vermont-educated 
lawyer, recently returned home to help with the farm's administration. 
Their step-children, Betsy and Travis, have also helped over the years.
  As life can sometimes do, Kim was thrown a curve ball about 20 years 
ago when she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Despite the 
infinite daily obstacles, she continues to manage and operate the farm 
with sheer tenacity and an indomitable spirit.
  Mr. Speaker, there are no words to adequately describe the beauty of 
this farm and the great pride the Gray family takes in producing high 
quality food for Vermonters. They grow fruits and vegetables on roughly 
50 acres including a pick your own strawberry operation. For over 20 
years, Kim has also managed the farm's jersey cow operation. Their 
market overflows with the freshest garden vegetables, fruits, milk, 
cheese, and meat all grown and raised in their fields. They still 
maintain a stand at the Norwich Farmers' Market and deliver to coops 
and restaurants in the area. Their motto, ``All we sell is our own,'' 
says it all.
  What perhaps is most remarkable is the Gray family's 40 years of 
stewardship of the land and community. They continue to nurture and 
reinvest in the land and the farm to ensure it can produce food for 
future generations. Over the years, they have employed and mentored 
hundreds of employees, sharing their knowledge and promoting a farming 
way of life.
  For Vermont's farmers, marketing their products can be tough. If not 
for the state's commitment to and support for its farms and farming 
families, 4 Corners Farm, and many others, would not be around today. 
The 4 Corners Farm is a product of community-supported agriculture and 
of a loyal and local following equally invested in good stewardship of 
the land and the production of local food.

                          ____________________