WOODSTOCK, Vt. (WCAX) – Juancarlos Gonzalez has been working as a photographer for about eight years.

Now, living in Windsor County, he’s constantly surrounded by Vermont’s lush landscape and an abundance of agriculture. The faces behind those farms are the topic of his recent exhibit profiling Vermont’s female farmers.

The inspiration for this new exhibit at Billings Farm and Museum didn’t come in a dream but rather from a farm to a dinner table.

“A couple of the tables next to us asked the staff, ‘Who’s the guy you get your veggies from? Or who’s the guy that you get your meats from?’” Gonzalez, who is from Puerto Rico, says hearing that question brought him back to childhood.

“My grandmother used to have a farm stand and people would come by and say, ‘Who’s the guy that runs the farm? Or who’s the guy that I can talk to?’” said Gonzalez.

Because sometimes, it’s not the guy running the operation, it’s the woman. It’s a population of farmers Gonzalez feels is underrepresented, especially when it comes to women of color.

“I think there is an opportunity here to amplify the female farming industry that I feel is in a shadow for all these decades,” said Gonzalez.

And so the seeds for this show were planted. He started with an Instagram message to Waitsfield’s Emily von Trapp.

What was supposed to be a show featuring 10 farmers quickly grew as these powerful women nominated more powerful women to share the spotlight. Gonzalez traveled all over the state to photograph these farmers, and he says he developed a unique relationship with each one.

“Thirty-five minutes will turn into two to three hours because you just created this synergy, and it was a beautiful, magical time,” said Gonzalez.

The now 38 farmers are featured in 45 images at Billings Farm and Museum, a seemingly perfect venue for the project.

Sherlock Terry, the curatorial and exhibits manager at Billings, says this exhibition fits seamlessly with their mission.

“Our farm has been run by women since the 1890s, and so we just have this long tradition. This ties in nicely with that. One of our main things is educating people about food and agriculture and where their food comes from, and an exhibition like this is 100% about that,” said Terry.

Terry also says the show has drawn in much attention from locals and visitors here to take in the foliage. Gonzalez hopes this project prompts more support for local farmers.

“By reading about each farmer, I hope people can dig into it, get to know the farmer, learn more about the industry, and not just see the cute little front stand. There’s more to it behind that,” said Gonzalez.

The exhibit runs at Billings Farm and Museum in Woodstock until Oct. 31. The photos and information have also been compiled into a book.

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