ORWELL, Vt. (WCAX) - Vermont farmers continue to struggle under severe drought conditions, with some downsizing herds and facing years of recovery as they ask for federal disaster relief.

Boston Wilbur hopes to be the sixth-generation farmer at Lazy Dog Farm in Orwell. He and his father Jesse are hunkering down for the cold season, concerned for their 60 milking cows.

“To buy stuff to keep the farm going and make it run better. So, without that money, it was a little harder to make it through some of the harder times,” Wilbur said.

The drought has forced difficult decisions for the family operation.

“We are actually downsizing our herd a little bit, sell off some of those animals to be able to afford the feed that we need. But that kind of goes against the model of our business plan of

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