Percy's Bouchard Farm Stowe, VT

More than Pretty Leaves

Stowe, Vermont is known more for its splendid fall foliage and ski slopes than for dairy farming, but the farms are still there if you know where to look. There are four dairies left in town and “I know them all,” Paul Percy says. Paul was born on his family’s farm and his son Ryan, the fourth generation, came home recently after a decade spent in California to join his father on the farm. Taking advantage of plentiful visitors year-round, Paul and his wife Lee also run a maple syrup operation and grow a corn maze for the busy fall leaf-peeping season. They rarely lose a visitor, Paul jokes: “I don’t make it that complicated.”

Paul Percy served as a director of the co-op for thirty years until he retired in 2011. Then he was convinced to join the board of directors again. He is fully committed to doing what he can to keep dairy farming going, both personally and for others. “I like working with the cattle. I like working with the crops. I like the challenges. I like being involved in the co-op and meeting people. I think I can have an impact,” he says. The bottom line, Paul says: “I enjoy it. I guess that’s what’s important, isn’t it?”

Be sure to visit the Percy Farm Corn Maze in Stowe Vermont, a family favorite for many locals.