Who are we? We are Nick, Karie and Maggie Atherton. We were born and raised in Vermont along the Canadian Border. Karie is a 7th generation dairy farmer, Nick a 5th generation maple producer, with a strong background in both dairy and maple equipment. We never dreamed our future would mean selling Karie’s family farm that dated back to 1826 and relocate to Bath County Kentucky. Our journey from VT to KY wasn’t for the faint of heart. On March 8, 2024 we headed out with 46 Boer goats, 4 Scottish Highlanders, 2 Australian Shepherds, 2 Livestock Guardian Dogs, a cat and a rabbit. When we arrived, it didn’t take long for us to realize our property wasn’t set up for goats and the area demanded black cows. The goats were a new addition to Aires-Hill in 2022, when Nick and Karie decided to sell the dairy cows due to health concerns and keep busy with less demanding meat goats. Of course when you have horns, why not have some Scottish Highlanders too? The decision was made to sell the goats and highlanders and invest in a Registered Black Angus herd. Of course, we had to comprise with Maggie and kept a goat, a highlander and add a horse to the mix, after all, we are in Kentucky. We are first generation cattle farmers, using our past knowledge of cows, crops, and maple to start over in the Bluegrass State.
AIRES-HILL FARM
Vermont 2018 Farm of the Year
The First Generation to Today!
Learn more about Aires-Hill Farm History
In 1826, Franklin Thompson began milking cows on a 130-acre parcel of land abutting the Canadian border, little could he know that seven generations later, his Berkshire farm would still be operational — and thriving.
Karie Thompson Atherton took the reins of Aires-Hill Farm from her father Edward Orlyn Thompson and Uncle James Bryan Thompson in 2014. After winning Vermont’s Farm of the Year award in 2018, Karie and Nick transitioned from a 400 cow dairy farm to a diversified farm focusing on goats, hay and maple. In 2024, plans would change again and send the family to Kentucky. The farm would be sold for the first time in 198 years to someone who wasn’t a Thompson. The new owners would bring the cows back to the farm and start milking, once again, while the Atherton’s head to Kentucky and start over, this time in the beef industry and selling maple syrup.