Maple Wind Farm began 26 years ago as a diversified pasture-based livestock operation. The farm was started by partner team Beth Whiting and Bruce Hennessey out of a passion for the land, raising high-quality pasture-raised meats, and regenerating soils. Two decades later the farm is focused on daily-move pasture-raised livestock, with pasture-raised poultry as the main focus. Maple Wind Farm received a Business Builder loan for the purchase of a new dehydrator to produce a new line of single-source dehydrated pet treats made from nutrient-dense poultry, beef, and pork.

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The Roots Farm Market opened its doors in 2019 in Middlesex, VT, and has a symbiotic relationship with Bear Roots Farm, with local vegetables as the heart of the store. It also has an on-site kitchen, small nursery, and supports over 100 local producers. They received a Business Builder loan to help complete a large renovation project to expand the driveway for farm deliveries, add functional space for seedling and nursery sales, and create a safer flow of traffic.

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Bear Roots Farm is a diversified, year-round, organic vegetable farm and a returning VFF borrower. Bear Roots Farm received a VFF Business Builder Loan this spring to help them diversify their business with a new perennials product line, including fruit trees, shrubs, and plants. Their goal is to enable customers to grow food in their own backyards as well as provide the farm with an additional revenue stream

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Wilson Farm is a certified organic medicinal herb farm and seasonal farm store in Greensboro, Vermont. With the help of a DBIC grant and a VFF Business Builder loan, owners Lindsey and Brenden Beer are building their own on-farm creamery, allowing them to realize their long-held goal of making their own ice cream from local dairy products. They hope to eventually expand operations to make ice cream year-round, providing the farm with a stable annual income and adding new positions to their team.

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Grass Cattle Company is owned by Steve Schubart who raises 100% grass-fed & finished beef without antibiotics or hormones and in harmony with the grassland ecosystems of his 160-acre ranch. He farms using soil health principles and relies heavily on rotational grazing for six months of the year, raising cattle off the land instead of farming crops to feed confined cattle. Their practices don’t include tilling soil, monocrops, or spraying pesticides and herbicides. Grass Cattle Company stocks beef throughout several farm stores in/around Chittenden County and sells beef and organic chicken and eggs at the Burlington Farmers Market. Together with grant funding, their VFF Business Builder Loan helped finance the construction of a new bedded pack building and a freezer and fulfillment building.

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Ananda Gardens is a diverse, small-scale farm located 10 minutes from downtown Montpelier. Owned and operated by Patrick Sullivan and Melisa Oliva, the farm's mission is to provide healthy food and wellness to their community through regenerative farming practices that produce delicious and nutritious food in living soil. Patrick and Melisa received VFF funds to help them complete the construction of a full-season farmstand on their property, for which they had also received a Working Lands grant. The new winterized structure has allowed Patrick and Melisa to introduce a winter CSA, host on-farm events, and employ 3 people year-round for the first time ever. Check out their beautiful new space!

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Justin Bramhall and Vanessa Rose own and operate Leaping Bear Farm, a small organic poultry farm located on leased land in Putney, VT. They are first generation farmers who prioritize growing high quality, fresh, and healthy food in a way that benefits the environment. Leaping Bear Farm is a VOF- and Real Organic Project-certified, pasture-raised chicken and egg producer. The main focus of their model is helping build soil to store carbon in the ground, absorb more rainwater, and promote biodiversity. Leaping Bear Farm is a recipient of a VFF Business Builder loan to support the purchase of a new mobile chicken house for their growing flock. Their goal is to maximize what is possible on their land, all while providing good, clean food! 

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Yates Family Orchard is a 6-acre pick-your-own apple orchard on Monkton Ridge that was originally established in the late 1930s but has been under the ownership of Steve and Jess Yates for the last 15 years. They grow apples, peaches, pears, and plums to sell at their retail stand, along with the work of several local artists and their own orchard-made products. This season they received a $30,000 Business Builder loan from VFF to support the construction of a new raw cider production room. Every product they make at the orchard requires their raw cider as a key ingredient, and Steve and Jess realized they needed to expand their production space in order to keep up with demand. The new build is beautiful and was completed just in time for their 2024 season

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Breadseed Farm is a one-acre, no-till, human-powered vegetable farm with an emphasis on ecological growing. The farm incorporates herbs, native perennials, and flowers to encourage pollinators and beneficial insects to create a more holistic farm system. All produce is grown organically with an emphasis on regenerative soil health practices. Owners Kayleigh Boyle and Doug Wolcik purchased the land that would become home to Breadseed Farm in September 2020. With the help of a $30,000 Business Builder loan, they are working on the construction of a small barn and wash/pack room. The new facility will allow them to process vegetables more efficiently and extend the start and end of their season into the colder months.

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Milkweed Farm is a small organic vegetable and flower farm in Westminster West. Owners Jonah Mossberg and Emily Hartz grow over 100 varieties of vegetables on two acres, primarily for their 125-member CSA and several local grocers and restaurants. After starting the farm in 2017 through short-term land leases, Jonah and Emily now steward 10 acres of land owned by the Earth Bridge Community Land Trust in Westminster West. They focus on building soil biology through a commitment to low and no-till, organic practices. Milkweed Farm received a VFF Business Builder loan to finance a new four-season farm store, where they plan to sell their vegetables and flowers as well as other local producers' dairy, meat, egg and grocery products. The store will be year-round with the goal of supplying the community with fresh leafy greens throughout the winter months.

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Shepherd Moon Farm is a new, multi-enterprise farm business focused on grazing, milking sheep, and making cheese. In 2022, farm owner Dani Grover and two collaborators purchased a former sheep dairy and creamery on 222 acres in Corinth with the intention of building a farm business there. In June 2023, they moved 11 ewes to the farm and are in the beginning stage of building the business. The first lambing was in the spring of this year. Shepherd Moon Farm’s VFF Business Builder loan was bridge financing to support the installation of groundwater and fencing

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Hunger Moon Farm was started in 2019 by Colton and Dani Cummings in Fairfield, VT and exists today on the land of Stony Pond Farm, an organic dairy and beef farm (and former VFF borrower) where the Cummings are working and building their own business. Dani and Colton raise a herd of pasture-raised goats, about 800 laying hens, and nearly 1000 broilers. They believe in producing food in a way that enriches the land, promotes clean water, and contributes to diverse and thriving ecosystems. Hunger Moon Farm received a VFF Business Builder loan to help them grow their laying hen flock to a scale that will propel their plans for future expansion.

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Hillside Farm is a diversified livestock farm in Albany, Vermont. They raise pastured pigs and poultry, processing chickens on the farm every week of the summer and selling fresh from the farm and at the Capital City Farmers Market. Owners Hannah Pearce and her father Bill are working toward growing the business to a sustainable and efficient scale, and have worked with Daniel Keeney & Silene DeCiucies at CAE to develop long-term business strategies to further these goals. Hillside Farm is a returning Vermont Farm Fund borrower, having used VFF funds in the past to support a solar array on the farm and to scale up their chicken tractors. Most recently they utilized VFF loan funds to replace an aging market delivery vehicle.

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