Dairy Barn

Dairy Barn. . , No Vermont farm would be complete without dairy cows. In the early 20th century, dairy quickly became Rokeby's most important agricultural product and, eventually, the only one. The Robinsons' dairy barn stood on this site for over 100 years but today, all that is left is the barn's foundation., When in use, the dairy barn was one of the most impressive structures on the farm. The middle section was two-and-a-half stories tall and was accompanied by two smaller and older buildings on either side. The barn was of mortise and tenon construction and was produced partly out of recycled and random boards, perhaps to save on lumber costs. At one point, the barn was painted red. Still visible today are the outline of the barn's stone foundation, the concrete pad of the milking parlor, and the cistern where water was stored outside the barn. After falling into disuse, the barn slowly deteriorated before being demolished in 1995., FROM WOOL TO DAIRY , In the 1840s, the profitability of wool in Vermont declined when tariffs protecting the price of wool were repealed and the completion of the Erie Canal allowed for competition from other states, such as Michigan and Ohio. This led to a near collapse of Vermont's wool industry., After 1870, the Robinsons transitioned from sheep to dairy. Receipts from 1892 to 1894 show that the Robinsons sold their milk and butterfat locally to Allen Creamery and Ferrisburgh Creamery Co., both in North Ferrisburgh. The butter produced on the farm became well-known and was sold as far away as Boston, Milk provided an important but volatile source of income for the Robinsons. The price of milk fluctuated heavily. Prices were lower in the summer, perhaps due to high refrigeration costs and lower demand, which could quickly sap profits. Dairy production at Rokeby also required the use of most buildings. At the center was the dairy barn, a three-part structure featuring a milking parlor, two hay chutes from the hayloft, its own well and cistern, and a manger and holding pen. Hay and corn were grown and harvested on Rokeby's acreage and stored in the Granary and hayloft, while milk was cooled, separated, skimmed, churned, and stored in the Creamery., [Illustration captions, left to right, read] , . July 1892 sketch of single dairy cow standing in grass. By Rowland Evans Robinson., . Undated sketch, "Sunny Side of the Barn." By Rowland Evans Robinson.