The Vermont Agricultural Hall of Fame will induct five new members at the Champlain Valley Fair on Wednesday, Aug. 30, at noon. The inductees are:
- Andy Birch, Derby, Emerging Leader. A trusted and respected voice among Vermont's dairy farmers, Birch has devoted countless hours to giving back to his coop and community.
- Jed Davis, South Burlington, Ag Innovator. Davis started the sustainability department at Agri-Mark/Cabot Creamery Cooperative, where he served as vice president for strategic engagement and sustainability, and instituted several forward-thinking initiatives to benefit farmers' bottom line.
- Richard Lawrence, Lyndonville, Lifetime Achievement. Lawrence, who died last November, was a fixture at the Caledonia County Fair, where he served at different times as cattle superintendent, board director and fair president. From 2005 to 2019, he represented the Caledonia 4 district in the Vermont House of Representatives, where he served as vice chair of the Agriculture and Forestry Committee.
- Diane Bothfeld, Cabot, Lifetime Achievement. A former deputy secretary of agriculture for the state of Vermont, Bothfeld made it her life’s work to improve economic conditions within agriculture for current and future generations. She served for nearly 18 years as director of administrative services at the Agency of Agriculture before retiring earlier this year.
- Jake Guest, Fairlee, Lifetime Achievement. Guest has a long history of personal involvement with Vermont agriculture, especially the vegetable-growing sector. He and his wife, Liz, operated Killdeer Farm in Norwich for almost 40 years before selling the farm in 2019.