PEACHAM, Vt. (WCAX) – The annual Fourth of July parade in Peacham is a celebration of Vermont agriculture. Dozens of tractors rolled through the town Thursday, showcasing generations of farmers.
The roar of antique engines, the smell of fuel, hay bails, and mud is a parade tradition three decades in the making in Peacham
“This parade brings together the community of people whose office is on a tractor and not in town,” said Daniel O’Brien of Peacham.
Farm machines new and old — including a steam-powered tractor from 1920 — promenaded through town.
“It’s just like listening to amazing music,” said Chase Bogie, who was driving in the parade for the fifth time. His family has operated a beef farm in Ryegate for generations and he says farming is a lifestyle. “A lot of people think it’s just like normal work. People get up, do it every day. It’s like, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s boring. Why would you do that?’ But it’s actually really fun. You learn a lot of things and have fun.”
Not to mention riding through town and putting on a show for cheering crowds.
And for others like Amy Gates, who grew farming in Mosquitoville in Barnet but now lives in New Hampshire, it’s a homecoming to show her kids her roots. “Bring your family here, explain to them if they’re little — explain who these people are, what they’re doing for our communities, and what they’re doing for our neighbors and our friends,” she said.
Vermont was once home to thousands of dairy farms but faced with falling milk prices and rising feed costs, many have either been consolidated into large operations or closed altogether. In Peacham, just two active dairy farms remain.
O’Brien says keeping the cherished tradition alive and rolling through town allows the agricultural lifestyle to live on. “It’s a celebration of their hard work,” he said.
And even though it’s a holiday for some, after the parade is over, it’s back to work for others, because working to feed Vermont and the nation is a full-time job.