The Bovine Bugle

Sorta like the Wells Fargo Wagon...supplies come to the farm

Every third Monday you can hear a diesel truck rumbling up Beaver Meadow Road towards the barn, and then it slows to a stop in front of the milkhouse. The white truck with the red and white shield on its side belongs to Dan Larivee, the IBA dealer who covers this area of our county. IBA stands for Independent Buyers Association, and Dan's truck is a farm supply store on wheels. If a farmer needs it, Dan has it. His wares including anything from detergents to clean your milking equipment; medicines and herd health management products to keep your animals in top form; boots to keep your feet warm and dry; to a new hose handle to replace the one the cow just stepped on and broke.

Dan--who lives here in Franklin and who I have known since from when I can remember--has been coming to the farm for more than a decade. He's another member of the "team" that keeps our farm going. He always has a pleasant word to say, often knows what we need before we tell him, and is always ready for a wrestling match with one of the boys if they happen to be around. With the cost of fuel today, it saves us some money not having to drive into St. Albans, 15 miles away, to pick up items Dan delivers right at our barn doorstep.

Today we needed another jug of powdered teat dip, a gallon of keto-aid drench, and a gallon of acid detergent for the milking system. Dan printed up our bill on his computer in the back of the truck, brought our purchased items into the milkhouse, gave the boys another quick tussel, and was on his way to the next farm. Like the tin peddelers and cobblers that went from farm to farm over a hundred years ago, Dan traverses the countryside selling his wares to farmers on his way.

--Jonathan (left), Howmars Farm
Franklin, Vermont

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Posted by Blogger Chris at April 7, 2006 03:42 PM