Jack Lazor, a pioneer of organic agriculture and organic grain production in Vermont, died at home, around midnight on Saturday, November 28, 2020, according to his daughter, Christine Lazor. Jack, who was 69, was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2010 and had been on dialysis for seven years for cancer-related kidney failure. Despite his early diagnosis, Jack made the most of every day despite the need for dialysis and multiple treatments through the years.
Jack Lazor was co-owner of Butterworks Farm in Westfield, VT, with his wife, Anne, and cofounder of the Northern Grain Growers Association. Jack had grown organic grains in the mountains of Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom since 1975 and was considered a leader in the movement for growing grains in cold climates. He grew grains both for human consumption and for feed for their herd of Jersey cows, including corn, oats, barley, soybeans, legumes, alfalfa, and oilseeds, such as flax and sunflower. Butterworks Farm also produces organic Jersey milk yogurt, buttermilk, sweet Jersey cream, cheddar cheese, at their on-farm processing plant, and grain products. Jack was the recipient of many agricultural awards, too numerous to list here.
Perhaps best said on the Northern Grain Growers Association’s tribute to Jack Lazor: “Among the many gifts Jack gave to us and the world was cultivation. Cultivation of plants and animals to provide nutritious foods. Cultivation of knowledge through his teaching at UVM and beyond. And, perhaps most importantly, cultivation of relationships – bringing together people throughout the food system to find a common path to sustainability. Jack’s work to help found the Northern Grain Growers Association is an example of this cultivation. Bringing together not only farmers but bakers, millers, and buyers that he met through his business and travels – all with the common goal of feeding people healthy foods while healing the earth.” To read more, visit their website: https://northerngraingrowers.org/remembering-jack-lazor
Anne and Christine Lazor can be reached at Butterworks Farm, 421 Trumpass Road, Westfield, VT 05874, or Anne via email at jack@butterworksfarm.com.
