Choosing to Farm: New Generation Stories Jennifer Colby

The occasional summer I would go to Arkansas for a few nights when my family would make the trip out there from
Dallas, Texas, they would only stay for a short period  it was my aunt and uncle's Chicken farm. They were conventional growers for Tyson.  It was a fun time out there, but I do remember thinking  this is an enormous amount of hard work. My aunt and uncle never get to leave this farm and there's one thing I know for sure. And that's--I don't want to be a farmer.—Vanessa

 

Chickens can't be productive without a grain implement.  The other thing is a lot of our farmland needs a lot more nutrients in the soil. This is an input into the system, but the intention is that this input is helping make our soils
more productive and more regenerative over time so that we can support more ruminant animals on a given land base. Hopefully that will help the farm be more productive and profitable and sustainable. —Justin

 

Our names are Justin and Vanessa and we're first generation farmers with a passion for healing our environment.  Justin has a background in permaculture
design and education, and Vanessa is a graphic designer and marketer. We use our past experiences daily to grow our farm, and to help refine our customers understanding of regenerative agriculture, organic growing practices and how they can positively contribute to healing our food systems. We pride ourselves in providing high quality, fresh and healthy food from the land in a way that benefits the environment.

 

We deeply value our community, which makes our work rewarding, but we know food producers are facing some serious challenges (because of ongoing climate change) and we want to help face those issues head on. How our food is farmed can either add to the destruction of our
planet or it can do the opposite- creating abundance and resiliency across our communities.



Leaping Bear Farm email address

 

Leaping Bear Farm website

 

Leaping Bear Farm Instagram

 

Leaping Bear Farm Facebook

 

Vermont Land Trust web site

 

Real Organic Project

 

Vermont Farm & Forest Viability Program website

 

New England Farm Link website

 

Northeast Farmers of Color Land Trust website



2022 USDA Ag Census website

 

New England Grazing Network web site

 

Christine Jones soil health tour link

 

Vermont Grass Farmers Association web site

 

More educational and transformational offerings from Jenn Colby

 

Whole Human web site

 

Choosing to Farm Patreon link



Leave us a review or buy us a coffee at Choosing to Farm!


The Choosing to Farm podcast is all about telling origin stories, learning from the journeys, and creating connection among first-and returning-generation
livestock farmers and ranchers across the US and the world.  After nearly 30 years working professionally
in agriculture as well as being a returning-generation farmer myself, I’m here to share stories, tips and resources to help livestock farmers and ranchers heal our relationship with success.  Want to help? Like, share or review this episode! Want to help even more? Join our Patreon to support the show or even buy me a cup of coffee at the Choosing to Farm web site!


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It feels good that we're providing this product for people's nutrition, for their families. They keep coming back to us
and appreciating that. We are who we are; we're the face, we talk to them, we have them to our farm for tours. That's what people are looking for.—Beth

 

We both have a full time job figuring out how to move this business forward that that you can't get done if you're picking eggs and putting down bedding in the layer houses or fulfilling orders. Can't do it.—Bruce

 

Beth Whiting and Bruce Hennessey are the co-founders and co-owners of Maple Wind Farm, a diversified pasture-based farm and USDA processing plant located in Richmond, Vermont.



Maple Wind Farm email address

 

Maple Wind Farm website

 

Maple Wind Farm Instagram

 

Maple Wind Farm Facebook

 

Pasture Pet website

 

Vermont Land Trust web site

 

USDA Poultry Plant in a Box video

 

New England Grazing Network web site

 

Vermont Grass Farmers Association web site

 
More educational and transformational offerings from Jenn Colby


Whole Human web site

 

Choosing to Farm Patreon link



Leave us a review or buy us a coffee at Choosing to Farm!


The Choosing to Farm podcast is all about telling origin stories, learning from the journeys, and creating connection among first-and returning-generation livestock farmers and ranchers across the US and the world.  After nearly 30 years working professionally in agriculture as well as being a returning-generation farmer myself, I’m here to share stories, tips and resources to help livestock farmers and ranchers heal our relationship with success. Want to help? Like, share or review this episode! Want to help even more? Join our Patreon to support the show or even buy me a cup of coffee at the Choosing to Farm web site!


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Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/choosingtofarm/message

I describe farming as really just one long extended expedition. It's very much like a mountaineering expedition where you wake up every day, you're working outside. You have problems, often new problems that crop up at least weekly. It's very much like being in a big mountain expedition where you're constantly working with the weather. You're working with the people on your team. You are focused on a goal. That takes all of your effort that you really have to commit to a hundred percent.—Bruce

 

It's very similar to being at a camp in a way,  because we're managing people; a lot of young energy, a lot of people that need training and direction and they're coming to work on our farm,…and a lot of teaching. –Beth

 

Beth Whiting and Bruce Hennessey are the co-founders and co-owners of Maple Wind Farm, a diversified pasture-based farm and USDA processing plant located in Richmond, Vermont.



Maple Wind Farm email address

 

Maple Wind Farm website

 

Maple Wind Farm Instagram

 

Maple Wind Farm Facebook

 

Grit by Angela Duckworth

 

New England Grazing Network web site

 

Vermont Grass Farmers Association web site

 

More educational and transformational offerings from Jenn Colby

 

Whole Human web site

 

Choosing to Farm Patreon link

 

Leave us a review or buy us a coffee at Choosing to Farm!


The Choosing to Farm podcast is all about telling origin stories, learning from the journeys, and creating connection among first-and returning-generation livestock farmers and ranchers across the US and the world.  After nearly 30 years working professionally
in agriculture as well as being a returning-generation farmer myself, I’m here to share stories, tips and resources to help livestock farmers and ranchers heal our relationship with success.  Want to help? Like, share or review this episode! Want to help even more? Join our Patreon to support the show or even buy me a cup of coffee at the Choosing to Farm web site!


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Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/choosingtofarm/message

Watching them [kids] come to the farm; at first, it can be quite challenging. There is definitely an arc of sort of comfortableness just with being outside doing chores, hard manual labor. That takes a minute for a lot of kids to adjust to.  But as they adjust, it's so cool to watch them come out of their shells.--Haley

 
Hello my name is Haley Goulet, I am a livestock manager at a community farm and work to educate the public about livestock farming. I am passionate about teaching folks about the origin of their food and continuing to learn the best ways of ethically raising meat.



Haley Goulet email address

 

Haley Goulet Instagram

 

Haley Goulet LinkedIn

 

Natick Community Organic Farm website

 

Natick Community Organic Farm Facebook



UMass Amherst ASCI website

 

Trustees of Reservations website

 

Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) Model

 

New England Grazing Network web site

 

Vermont Grass Farmers Association web site

 

Your Transformation Story link—Click here to learn more!

 

Whole Human web site

 

Choosing to Farm Patreon link


Leave us a review or buy us a coffee at Choosing to Farm!


The Choosing to Farm podcast is all about telling origin stories, learning from the journeys, and creating connection among first-and returning-generation livestock farmers and ranchers across the US and the world.  After nearly 30 years working professionally in agriculture as well as being a returning-generation farmer myself, I’m here to share stories, tips and resources to help livestock farmers and ranchers heal our relationship with success. Want to help? Like, share or review this episode!  Want to help even more? Join our Patreon to support the show or even buy me a cup of coffee at the Choosing to Farm web site!


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Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/choosingtofarm/message

I remember being seven or eight years old and drawing… having construction paper, big rolls of paper all over the
living room floor, drawing pictures of where my cows and my sheep and my chickens would go on my future farm.—Melissa

 

You pick and choose your battles for sure…do we want to focus on cleaning up all of our  step-in fence for the sheep
and  do all the outdoor stuff or are we going to focus on a house that we can bring friends into? So unfortunately,  our game nights have taken a hit on not being able to invite people over, but our understanding of field management and what is required outside is more of a priority and we're appreciating that. Our decor is not the best, but whatever.--Toby

 

As Toby writes:
Melissa and I own and operate Three Square Farm. We do rotational grazing of our beef and dairy cows and meat sheep. We moved to Vermont 5 years ago and started our farming journey 3 years ago.  Toby also does hay crops on almost 100 acres and is diving into precision ag. Through many challenges, lessons learned (some the hard way), and classes with NOFA, we have gotten our enterprise on a good standing. With many more years to come and the passion for agriculture ever blossoming within our selves we like to look back on the struggles of being newly married, a new location, and many other challenges we faced. This only makes us stronger and the love of this career richer. At this point we couldn't see ourselves doing anything else.



Three Square Farm email address

 

Three Square Farm website

 

Three Square Farm Instagram

 

Three Square Farm Facebook

 

NOFA Vermont Beginning Farmer programs

 

Todoist app

 

New England Grazing Network web site

 

Vermont Grass Farmers Association web site

 

Your Transformation Story program registration is open!

 

Choosing to Farm Patreon link


The Choosing to Farm podcast is all about telling origin stories, learning from the journeys, and creating connection among first-and returning-generation
livestock farmers and ranchers across the US and the world.  After nearly 30 years working professionally in agriculture as well as being a returning-generation farmer myself, I’m here to share stories, tips and resources to help livestock farmers and ranchers heal our relationship with success.  Want to help? Like, share or review this episode! Want to help even more? Join our Patreon to support the show or even buy me a cup of coffee at the Choosing to Farm web site!


---

Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/choosingtofarm/message

We had bought this house in Brattleboro. We'd bought the truck. We bought the sheep. We bought dogs. We did all of this long before COVID hit, but then we were like, okay, this is our pandemic project.—Kimberly



Kimberly and Zan Walker-Gonҫalves were both kids exposed to animals but not raised on farms. As parents, they circled back to growing food and raising the maximum number of livestock their town in Massachusetts would legally allow.  Five years ago, they packed up everything and moved to a new home where they created WagonTail Farm, set up sheep camp, started breeding for intentional wool color, and have been managing invasive knotweed as sheepscapers all while balancing career and health challenges.



WaGonTail Farm email address

 

WaGonTail Farm Facebook

 

Whetwoods Wildscaping Facebook

 

New England Grazing Network web site



Vermont Grass Farmers Association web site

 

Your Transformation Story program registration is open!

 

Choosing to Farm Patreon link

 

Leave us a review or buy us a coffee at Choosing to Farm!


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Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/choosingtofarm/message