ESSEX JUNCTION — Robert Foster of Middlebury was one of four 2018 inductees recently named to the Vermont Agricultural Hall of Fame. Foster was named as one of two inductees for a Lifetime Achievement: 30+ Years of Outstanding Service to Vermont Agriculture.
Foster is a partner in Foster Brothers Farm, a fifth-generation dairy, and served on the Agrimark Board of Directors for 37 consecutive years, before retiring in 2015. He also chairs the University of Vermont, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ Board of Advisors.
Sustainability has always been one of Robert’s passions. Foster Brothers Farm was the first in the state to install and operate a methane digester. Robert is also co-owner and operator of Vermont Natural Ag Products, a sustainable business which supplies wholesale products, formulated from cow, horse and poultry compost, to the horticultural, agricultural, and turf industries.
He currently serves on the Board of Directors for The Soil Health Institute. Within the Agrimark Co-op, Robert has been a champion for renewable energy and sustainability, helping to pioneer the Vital Capital Index, which helps member farms measure and manage their impact on their community, the environment and their bottom line. He has been a tireless advocate for Vermont agriculture, and a mentor and leader to young farmers, over the course of his prestigious career.
Together with his wife, Nancy, he has three grown daughters; Robin Cole, Jennifer Foster, and Heather Foster-Provencher; and six grandchildren.
Inductees are selected by a panel of judges from more than forty nominations. Other inductees include Clara Ayer of East Montpelier, Beth Kennett of Rochester and Enid Wonnacott of Huntington. They will be honored at a luncheon at noon on Wednesday, Aug. 29, at the Champlain Valley Exposition.