While Rosina grew up on the family farm, she didn’t originally plan to take it over and become a full-time dairy farmer. After she finished college, Rosina taught physical education and health for twelve years before returning home. Her dad, Keith, wanted to run for a seat as a state representative, and he needed somebody to help him run the spread. Rosina to the rescue. Keith won the election and served two terms as a state representative, and Rosina has been on the farm ever since. As for Keith, he had also served several years before as a state senator, and he was happy to serve in Vermont’s legislature again and let Rosina learn the details of farm management. Rosina’s brother Kay maintains the farm machinery, but Rosina does everything else. Even though Rosina is a dairy farmer, she never quite lost the teaching bug. She has visitors on the farm throughout the year. One day, it may be 70 pre-kindergarten children seeing a farm for the first time. She lets them pet and try to milk the cows. She walks the land with the children and patiently explains where milk and cheese come from and how the food makes its way into their homes. The next day a class of fifth graders may swing by for a few hours, and they watch as Rosina does chores on the farm and explains why each one is necessary. Says Rosina, “I think it’s very important for the children to see how a farm operates and where their food comes from. It gives them deeper insight and understanding for farming and food producers, and it helps them develop an appreciation for the land.” And for Rosina, talking is not enough. She always has handfuls of individually wrapped packets of Cabot cheese to give the children as a treat. From the cows on the farm, to the creamery at Cabot for processing, to the marketplace, and ultimately to the kids’ refrigerator and kitchen table, Rosina explains the full cycle to the children. And the kids seem to take it all to heart. Rosina can’t go into town without somebody stopping her to ask how her cows are doing. In fact, Rosina has named most of the cattle, and the kids usually ask about them individually by name. 

 Dairy farmers Rosina Wallace, center, and her brother K. Alan Wallace stand Monday, April 2, 2018, on their historic family dairy farm that was destroyed by fire Sunday. (AP Photo/Lisa Rathke) (Associated Press) 
 
 Dairy farmers Rosina Wallace, center, and her brother K. Alan Wallace stand Monday, April 2, 2018, on their historic family dairy farm that was destroyed by fire Sunday. (AP Photo/Lisa Rathke) (Associated Press) 
 
 WATERBURY, Vt. (AP) — A blaze that destroyed a historic family dairy farm, including two homes, and killed 23 cows and calves was an accident, Vermont fire officials said Monday. 
 
 The fire started in the Wallace farm's milking parlor, but investigators were not certain of its exact source, said Waterbury Fire Chief Gary Dillon. 
 
 Rosina Wallace, 71, ran the farm that her great-grandparents bought in 1866. Her brother, K. Alan Wallace, helped her run it. They both stood by Monday as an excavator tore down the farmhouse where they both grew up and where he currently lived. 
 
 Rosina Wallace's home on the property also was destroyed. Family and community members stopped by with food and to offer condolences and help throughout the morning. 
 
 "It's holding me up," Rosina Wallace said of the support. 
 
 "There's an awful lot of people who have to go through this, so I know I'm not the only one and it can't be any worse for me than it is for other people that have had to go through it," she said. 
 
 The barn and farmhouse were 152 years old, so the wood was extremely dry, said Fire Chief Gary Dillon. There also was a lot of hay, wood chips and sawdust. 
 
 High winds fed the fire, and a lack of water initially made it difficult to fight, he said. 
 
 No injuries were reported. 
 
 Rosina Wallace hosted numerous school groups at the farm over the years. 
 
 "This is just a different world," she said on the Cabot Creamery website. "Even for kids who grow up right next door, if they don't come visit the farm, they don't make the connections." 
 
 Wallace worked hard and long to keep the farm going after her father died, said former neighbor Bob Severidt, of Duxbury. 
 
 "The cows were her kids," he said. "And so she lost them and it's going to be a real heartbreaker." 

 An iconic dairy farm in Vermont burned to the ground, killing all the animals in the barn. (Photo: Google Maps) 
 
 An iconic 19th-century dairy farm whose owner invited children to the property to learn about agriculture was burned to the ground on Sunday night, killing all the animals, according to local police. 
 
 The blaze, which consumed two homes on the property in Waterbury, Vt., as well as a cow barn, could be seen from 20 miles away, reported local TV station WCAX. 
 
 According to another Vermont TV station, WVNY/WFFF, at least five fire departments responded to the scene as well as state police, several local police departments and EMTs. On Sunday evening the firefighters were working to contain the flames. 
 
 “All the livestock that were in the barn are dead,” Waterbury Fire Chief Gary Dillon told the station. 
 
 “We did get her dog out of her house, so she's got her dog, but she's got virtually nothing else but friends and family. She's very well-known, a very wonderful person,” said Dillon about the owner, Rosina Wallace. Dillon said no injuries to humans were reported. Wallace’s brother also lived on property. 
 
 Dillon said the old, dry wood in the structures helped the fire speed through the buildings. 
 
 "We had two or three messages on our phone from friends and relatives that the Wallace farm is on fire,” Mary Welch, a cousin of the owner, told WCAX. “I have such wonderful memories. … They are wonderful people and it's another landmark gone and it will never be replaced." 
 
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 The farm, a popular local landmark, celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2016. According to a profile by Cabot Cheese, Wallace, a fifth-generation farmer, has long welcomed students on to her property to teach them about farm life. 
 
 The Cabot website says that Wallace, a former teacher, was enthusiastic to host the many youngsters from local schools and community groups who visited the farm. “This is just a different world,” she said. “Even for kids who grow up right next door, if they don’t come visit the farm, they don’t make the connections,” adding that there are many lessons to be shared through well-managed farmland that supports a variety of ecosystems. 
 
 “I think it’s important that we all kind of coexist,” Wallace said. “That was the stuff that was important to my father and the generations that have been on the farm.” 
 
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– A beloved Vermont dairy farm burned to the ground Sunday night, killing nearly two dozen cows and their calves. The Wallace farm in Waterbury was run by 71-year-old Rosina Wallace. Per USA Today, Wallace was a fourth generation dairy farmer at the property, which was purchased by her great-grandparents in 1866. Wallace hosted numerous school groups over the years at the farm, which was a staple attraction in the community. Per the AP, Rosina Wallace's home on the property also was destroyed along with another home and a cow barn. While all 23 animals perished, no human fatalities were reported. The barn and farmhouse were 152 years old, so the wood was extremely dry, said Fire Chief Gary Dillon. Investigators were not certain of its exact source on Monday but said the fire has been ruled an accident. For Rosina Wallace and her brother, K. Alan Wallace, who helped her run the farm, this is a tragedy only lessened by the outpouring of community support. Family and friends stopped by with food and to offer condolences and help throughout the morning Monday. Meanwhile, the Wallaces stood by Monday as an excavator tore down the farmhouse where they both grew up and where he currently lived. "It's holding me up," Rosina Wallace said of the support. Perhaps more tragic is the effect on the community. "This is just a different world," she once said in a profile on the Cabot Creamery website. "Even for kids who grow up right next door, if they don't come visit the farm, they don't make the connections." Wallace worked hard and long to keep the farm going after her father died, said former neighbor Bob Severidt. "The cows were her kids," he said. "And so she lost them and it's going to be a real heartbreaker."