NEWPORT –– Kierstin Moulton of North Troy has been recognized by the Vermont Land Trust as a winner of its 2025 Land Stewards Award, receiving $500 for her dedication to agriculture.
Moulton was among seven students statewide to receive the honor in the 21st year of the program, joining Max Wagner of Enosburg, Paul Tipper of Jeffersonville and Raymond Powers of Sheffield as regional winners.
Since 2005, the Vermont Land Trust has recognized outstanding high school juniors and seniors dedicated to agriculture and forestry. Instructors from Vermont’s farming, forestry and natural resources programs nominate students each spring.
Moulton, a senior who begins her days working with animals at her family’s Knox Ridge Holsteins farm, was nominated by Emily Dehoff, her animal and environmental systems science instructor at Newport’s North Country Career Center.
“Her ability to blend science with hands-on experience makes her an outstanding young farmer and an inspiring example of the next generation of agricultural stewards,” Dehoff said.
Moulton, an officer of Future Farmers of America in Orleans County and National Honor Society member, said farming has taught her that stewardship matters.
“As a high school student and dairy farmer in Vermont, working the land is a way of life that’s deeply rooted in who I am,” she said. “Farming has taught me that stewardship matters. I’m proud to be part of a tradition that respects and protects the land for future generations.”
After graduation, Moulton plans to enroll at the University of Vermont on a pre-veterinary track with the goal of becoming a large animal veterinarian and returning to work on her family’s farm.
“I want to bring my skills back home and give back to the community that raised me,” she said.
