Vermont potato farm to close after 90 years in business
GUILDHALL, Vt. (AP) — A potato farm and longtime symbol of Vermont’s agricultural past has announced plans to auction off its equipment and close.
Peaslee’s Vermont Potatoes will close after 90 years in business, The Caledonain Record reported. The Northeast Kingdom potato farm has been run by the Peaslee family in the Connecticut River valley town of Guildhall for decades.
Co-owner Karen Guile-Caron said the farm has been difficult to maintain as her therapeutic horse riding business expanded. She said that the next generation of the family does not want to operate the farm.
Guile-Caron’s mother, Janice Peaslee served as a Republican representative for Essex and Caledonia counties in the Vermont House from 1989 to 2013.
“It was a decision that we came to and we decided to do an auction and sell the equipment that way instead of doing it piecemeal,” Guile-Caron said.
The family is selling the 64-acre property, which includes a farmhouse and potato barn, and equipment on June 8.
Vermont Agriculture Secretary Anson Tebbetts said no farm survives nine decades without commitment.
“There is probably not a Vermonter who hasn’t had a Peaslee potato,” Tebbetts said. “Although we are sad to see their spuds won’t be on our menu anymore, we should pause to thank the Peaslee family for their contributions to the State of Vermont for 90 years.”
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