At Thornhill Farm in Greensboro, owner Todd Hardie has been growing organic grain on his farm for seven years, serving local bakeries, retailers, and distilleries. Thornhill Farm received a $30,000 Business Builder loan from VFF for the purchase of a 48" New American stone mill. A stone mill keeps the milled grain and its oils and ingredients cool, resulting in a higher quality grain - and better-tasting bread and whiskey.
Read MoreZ Botanicals Apothecary & Herbal Sanctuary is an herb farm and apothecary that sells fresh herbs and value-added herbal medicinals. They also make a wide variety of herbal health and beauty products. Z Botanicals received a Business Builder loan to help owner Lyndsay Rose transition the farm to a new property with an on-site storefront in Hartland, VT.
Read MoreReturning VFF borrower Honey Field Farm received a $22,000 Business Builder loan to invest in new equipment for field tillage and cover cropping, giving them greater flexibility to respond to weather and real-time conditions on the ground. Farm owners Eli Hersh and Valerie Woodhouse first came to the Farm Fund in 2020 after purchasing their new 25-acre organic vegetable farm from Liz and Jake Guest, now the owners of Killdeer Farm.
Read MoreLiz and Jake Guest have been farming in the Upper Valley for nearly 40 years. After selling their large vegetable operation and farmstand several years ago, Liz and Jake now manage Killdeer Farm, a smaller organic mixed-vegetable farm on the Connecticut River where they focus on just a few main crops.
Killdeer Farm requested an $8,500 Business Builder loan for the installation of a new walk-in cooler and expansion of the bed of their pickup truck. Jake estimated that these improvements would yield efficiencies in their picking, packing, and delivery systems that would save the farm several thousand dollars each season. As they look toward their eventual retirement, an important goal for Liz and Jake is to maintain their land as a working organic farm now and into the future.
Read MoreStine Orchard is an apple orchard and farm market on 32 acres in Monkton. Aaron and Kathleen Stine, co-owners of Bevo Catering in Colchester, purchased the business in early 2022. Aaron approached the VFF this spring for a $30,000 Business Builder loan to expand the kitchen and storage space in the market building. This will support their growing event offerings like the popular food and live music nights they introduced in their first season.
Read MoreMoses Kauffman is a farmer and woodworker based in Brownington. He has an active furniture-making and builder/contractor business and in the last several years has begun raising pigs on farm. Moses will use his Business Builder loan to buy additional sows and grain to build up his breeding stock. He also has plans in the coming year to start work on the construction of a sow barn.
Read MoreBirdhous is a returning Farm Fund borrower who used their first Business Builder loan to outfit a bus into a certified food production space. With strong customer demand for their pierogi product, they approach the Farm Fund for a second loan to expand production into a new leased space with new equipment, including a reach-in refrigerator and freezer. The original bus will also receive some upgrades for a new life as a mobile food truck.
Read MoreFort Waite Farm is a 5th generation Vermont dairy farm in Corinth. When severe drought conditions caused their spring-fed well to run dry, farm owners Mary and Elijah White were forced to haul water from a neighbor's pond. In urgent need of capital, they reached out to the Farm Fund for help. In less than two weeks they had the funds in hand for a combination Emergency and Business Builder loan to drill a new water source for the farm.
Read MoreLaughing Child Farm is an organic sweet potato farm in Pawlet, VT. Owned and operated by Brooke and Timothy Hughes-Muse, Laughing Child sells three different varieties of sweet potatoes directly from their farm stand and to stores throughout Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and New York.
Brooke and Timothy are returning Farm Fund borrowers, receiving their first Farm Fund loan in 2018 to upgrade their packing house and sweet potato washing equipment. With demand for their product steadily growing, their latest Business Builder loan will help finance the purchase of a new delivery truck.
Read MoreHillside Homestead is a 50-cow dairy farm located in Albany, VT owned and operated by Renee and Chet Baker. With experience milking cows since 2013, the Bakers purchased a farm of their own in late 2019. Hillside Homestead is primarily a registered Holstein herd that sells milk conventionally but also operates a small farmstand that offers their own raw milk, local cheese products, maple syrup and some seasonal veggies. The Bakers will use their Business Builder loan to improve their grazing system by adding more paddocks and acres of pasture to allow them to utilize the full extent of their land more efficiently.
Read MoreNEK Grains is a new and upcoming business created by Shawn and Sara Gingue at the Gingue Family Farms in Waterford, VT. The business encompasses the growing, harvesting, processing and storage of wheat, barley, oats and soybeans for use in malting, baking, brewing and feed production in the region as well as custom seeding work and the sale of wheat berries and flour. NEK Grains will use their VFF Business Builder Loan to create a larger on-farm store to offer more retail products and to also house their 40" New American Stone Mill. They currently outsource all of their milling so by purchasing a mill they will be able to fill more orders, more efficiently.
Read MorePitchfork Pickle makes vinegar brined and fermented vegetable pickles, krauts, kimchi and hot sauce using locally sourced Vermont produce. Owner Julia Irish worked at Pitchfork Farm and started The Pickle with Pitchfork Farm owners Eric Seitz and Rob Rock in 2019. Their goal was to use as much farm produce as possible to make seasonal, local pickles and ferments. Pitchfork Pickle will use their VFF Business Builder Loan to build out a walk-in cooler to provide cold storage for their prepared products as well as local produce waiting to be pickled.
Read MoreJanine Ndagijimana from Janine Farm in Colchester grows more than 8 acres of African eggplant, as well as other specialty vegetables like amaranth, beans, corn, pumpkin leaves, and other greens. She sells to customers all over the country, as well as the VT Food Bank. Janine's VFF Business Builder loan will help her to purchase a cooler to store vegetables and keep them fresh.
Read MoreGood Heart Farmstead is a VFF returning borrower and recent recipient of a Business Builder Loan to help with the purchase and setup of the new Good Heart Farm Store in Worcester, VT. The new store will be a place where customer can get local goods year-round, including vegetables, eggs, meat, dairy, maple syrup…and even lattes. It’ll be a local foods grocery open 5 days a week, open to the entire community, and a location for their CSA pick-up.
Read MoreDreamwalker Farm in Grand Isle, VT is a woman-owned business raising 3,000 laying hens, hogs, rabbits, turkeys & meat chickens. In 2020 they opened a farm store which sells their farm-raised meats and eggs, as well as other locally produced foods and crafts. A Business Builder Loan from the VFF allowed Dreamwalker Farm to purchase a walk-in cooler and an egg grader.
Read MoreChicken Wiggle Farm is a diversified farm in Chelsea, VT offering seasonal veggies and farm-raised eggs, pork, chicken, turkey, beef as well as a variety of jams, jellies, pickles and apple cider. They came to the VFF for a Business Builder loan to expand their farm store by renovating an existing building on their property, allowing them to offer a wider variety of locally grown and made goods.
Read MoreFood Connects operates a regional food distribution hub in Brattleboro, VT. They make it easy for wholesale customers throughout New England to purchase source-identified food from a variety of regional producers, offering competitive pricing, personalized service, and products they can feel good about. A Business Builder loan from the VFF will allow Food Connects to build its inventory, increasing its purchasing from small and medium producers throughout the region.
Read MoreWinding Brook Farm in Strafford came to the VFF for a Business Builder Loan to expand and modernize their sugaring operation. With the loan they will be able to expand from 1000 to 2150 taps and purchase a reverse osmosis machine. They operate a diversified family farm. Their enterprises include eggs, vegetables, meats (lamb, pork, chicken), maple syrup, and they operate a farm stay guest house.
Read MoreKnee Deep Farm in Jeffersonville, VT is a diversified farm growing Certified Organic vegetables, herbs, garlic & flowers. Shane and Eliza used their VFF Business Builder Loan to purchase a tillage tractor. This will allow them to easily move pallets and bins of winter storage crops in their dry storage room. With additional storage for their fall crops they will be able to extend the season for wholesale vegetables and expand their fall CSA program.
Read MoreSunshine Valley Berry Farm in Rochester, VT came to the Vermont Farm Fund when they needed to purchase a tractor that could run specialized attachments and a mulch spreader. Rob Meadows and Patricia Rydle raise 7 acres of blueberries and raspberries focused on Pick-Your-Own berries.
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