Vermont has a lot of visitors this time of year, and it's not uncommon to see cars pulled off the road, flanked by people taking pictures of mountain vistas and tree-lined fields. That prompted Silene DeCiuces to leave subtle reminders in some hay fields of who made that perfect photo possible.
DeCiuces is the Agriculture Outreach Coordinator for the Lamoille County Conservation District. Over the past few days she’s been posting small signs in fields with a view. The signs are the kind you see on front lawns and roadsides promoting political candidates. But these have a different message. They remind leaf peepers to "Thank our farmers for the view!"
"A lot of those views, I think people have forgotten, are really agricultural landscapes," said DeCiuces. "They’re working landscapes. They support dairy and livestock farmers. I mean, we do grow corn in Lamoille County, but I would say most of our crops are hay – which are just these beautiful green fields that, I think, create the contrast for beautiful foliage this time of year."
DeCiuces said she had the signs made as a reminder for locals and visitors alike.
"I’m just kind of hoping that it gets people thinking, ‘Oh, if I want to keep looking at this view on my way to work or when I come to Vermont to visit, maybe I should think about the people who are doing this work,'" she said.
DeCiuces hopes the signs will prompt people to support local farmers when buying groceries like milk and meat.
