WILLISTON, Vt. (WCAX) – A Williston family farm passed down through five generations is at risk of losing the family name. There are plans in the works to sell the Isham Family Farm and it’s not sitting well with some family members.
“It’s where I grew up. I’ve got thousands of memories there,” said Doug Isham.
The Isham family bought the more than 100 acre property in the 1800s and it’s been passed down through the family ever since. But now there’s a plan in the works to sell the farm to someone not in the immediate family.
“Each generation has done a great job at creating a legacy there, and honestly, Michael has created a legacy there and I feel like ending it with him diminishes that,” Doug said.
From Christmas trees to maple syrup to pick your own blueberries, the farm has become a staple in the Williston community. Doug’s brother, Michael, bought the farm from their parents. We tried to get his side of the story to hear what led to the decision to sell, but he canceled his interview with us while we were on the property.
Vermont is home to more than 6,500 farms and experts say these kinds of disputes are not all that uncommon. Matt Strassberg with the Vermont Agricultural Mediation program says their services are free and available to help farms navigate these types of situations.
“It is typical that some people might not feel good about the process and mediation is a way to make sure that communication isn’t a barrier to trying to find a way that everyone feels good about the outcome,” Strassberg said.
He says they mediate roughly a dozen family farm transition cases every year and that asking for help can be a challenge. “The process is not designed to look backward and say you’re right or wrong, the process is designed to look forward and say how do we resolve this in a way that’s acceptable to everyone,” Strassberg said.
Back in Williston, Doug Isham believes there was an opportunity to keep the farm in the immediate family but now he’s not so sure.
“We’ve got to get past the heartbreak that this is no longer in our family. I certainly wish the next owners success. I just think they need to rebrand it as their ow,” he said.
Michael Isham tells us there was an attempt to sell the farm last fall but that fell through. He adds its likely there won’t be an official sale until early summer.
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