Billings Farm

On our way home from Shelburne we stopped in Woodstock, Vermont to visit the famous Billings Farm and Museum. The farm used to be part of a large estate owned by a branch of the Rockefeller family. They have a herd of adorable, doe-faced Jerseys cows who are famous for producing milk with a fat content of nearly 5%! We visited the barn and met the cows. Jojo posed for an impromptu photo shoot and introduced the cows to the Churncraft Churn.

Hannes was intrigued by the old-fashioned butter-making technology in the farm museum. A hundred years ago, the people on the Billings Farm were using the most modern and advanced equipment of the day: a large wooden tub, suspended from the ceiling and rocked by a systems of belts, wheels and levers. The rocking motion made the cream slosh back and forth inside the tub and would eventually turn into butter. The drive system was connected to a small water turbine. The water was then piped down from a spring-fed pond on the nearby Rockefeller estate. It was remarkable to see how a wealthy family of the time placed a high priority on having a constant supply of fresh butter for both their home and their region!

We were pleased to see how well our Churncraft Churn fit in with the Rockefellers’ butter-making equipment. It would be fun to return for a butter-making demonstration.