Richmond farmer Andy Aldrich has been named Vermont's 2026 Fantastic Farmer, receiving a $5,000 grant from the A. Pizzagalli Family Farm Fund.
The Agency of Agriculture announced the award Oct. 30, recognizing stewardship at Aldrich Tree and Maple Farm on Dugway Road near Huntington Gorge.
The agency says the 150-acre property has been in the family for more than 75 years. Its operations include about 4,000 Christmas trees, a 2,700-tap maple operation and firewood.
In a questionnaire published by the agency, Aldrich described returning to full-time farming after a career building homes and preparing the operation for another generation.
He said flooding from Tropical Storm Beryl in 2024 cost him 20% of his trees, and that the 2025 drought killed 60% of the trees he had transplanted over the previous two years.
Aldrich described maintaining river buffers, grass strips and forest-floor protection, upgrading irrigation after drought, and limiting access routes in the maple woods to reduce erosion.
The award announcement says the fund also supports barn painting and milk-quality awards. The Fantastic Farmer recognition considers stewardship, resource management, education and promotion of Vermont farming.
The farm is choose-and-cut, with about 10% of its trees offered for sale each year, according to the agency.