This episode of Rumble Strip features host Erica Heilman in conversation with Jules Gilmette, a Vermonter from a multi-generational farming family. Jules reflects on their identity and economic reality while working as an electrician, their third trade. The discussion centers on the paradox of inheriting valuable land while experiencing financial insecurity.
Jules grew up on a family farm in Lamoille County that will soon have been in the family for a hundred years. They describe a childhood filled with freedom and pride in the French-speaking farming community where neighbors shared equipment. Their grandfather saved meticulously to buy and pay off the farm before starting a family. Jules’s parents were frugal, teaching lessons about coupons and saving money. A childhood memory involves eating a burnt grilled cheese at the home of a wealthy lumber mill owner to be polite, which prompted a shaming comment from the owner’s wife. Jules identifies strongly as working class and takes pride in a blue-collar identity built through work as a chef, a meat cutter, and now an electrician.
Jules internally questions if their intelligence could have led to a different career path beyond the trades. They save money constantly but feel uncertain about when they will have saved enough to safely work less. At 46, Jules lacks built-in benefits like paid vacation, relying instead on the goodwill of employers. They describe inheriting the family condition of being “land rich and cash poor,” despite not being a farmer themselves. Jules grapples with the weight of the land as a legacy and a potential financial resource. They feel the struggle of wanting to use this asset to achieve security and reduce physical pain from work. Jules notes this tension is common as many Vermont farms have gone out of business.
The tone is intimate, reflective, and conversational, focusing on personal narrative and memory. The style is quiet and empathetic, allowing the guest’s story to unfold through specific anecdotes.
Listeners interested in rural economics, class identity, and personal stories about heritage and work would appreciate this episode. Those seeking fast-paced debate or broad sociological analysis might find it too introspective.
