“In our system, the authority of the government goes to those who show up. And right now, our nation, our region, and our towns are at a crossroads. We need everyone to show up. And it’s not laziness or a shirking of civic responsibility. Often, we just have no clue how or where to begin."
-- Susan Bachelder, Egremont Historical Commission, opening the 242nd town birthday celebration
Among the usual farm stressors, lowered milk prices prevented farmer Bob Coons from expanding the cowherd, leaving him to look for new ways to survive and leasing 20 of his roughly 200 acres, mostly wetlands, being his only shot at staying on thÂe land his family has farmed since the 1950s.
