Maple Valley Farm
Corn field destroyed by bears - Maple Valley Farm, Bridgewater, VT
The Shurtleff family has been farming in Bridgewater, VT for over 100 years. Their family dairy farm, Maple Valley Farm, was purchased by their great-great-grandfather in the 1840s, adding additional acreage over the next 60 years. It is the last dairy farm still operating in the town of Bridgewater. They have about 60 milking cows and 70 other stock, but also grow a variety of crops including hay, field corn, and pumpkins.
Richard Shurtleff now runs the farm with help from his two sisters who live nearby. They raised 38 acres of corn, but unfortunately, before they were able to harvest all of the corn, the fields were invaded by black bears, eating and trampling large areas of field. A friend put up a game camera, and at one point, counted 11 bears in one field alone!
A $10,000 Emergency Loan from the VFF will allow Richard to purchase additional feed for his cows through the winter.
Maple Valley Farm, Bridgewater, Vermont