Bread and Butter Farm

Bread and Butter Farm is located in Shelburne, VT.  The farm was sold to Adam Wilson and Corie Pierce 3 years ago through the Vermont Land Trust.  They were able to save the land from development and instead kept it for farming purposes  It is only a few miles from the center of Burlington, and allows for an easy opportunity to experience Vermont farm life.

I took Dorset Road to get to the farm; which was found right after all of the housing developments eased into a more typical Vermont landscape.  After pulling into the farm I immediately saw Maurice Leduc, who was the previous owner of the farm.   He waved to us as we pulled into the farm store, only to meet another member of the team, Erik (the resident baker of the delicious bread!).

Bread and Butter Farm produces milk products from 100% grass fed cows.  These cows are milked once a day, which lowers production rates, but allows for the highest quality of milk.  They are also rotated from their pastures 2 times daily, which allows for increased productivity and health of the soils.  Lastly, the manure from the cows is composted and used once again in the hay fields.

Beef and pork products are also sold at the farm.  These animals are all allowed to graze and rotate among the pastures as well. They raise the pork on leftovers from the bakery and dairy production which allows for complete recycling of the nutrients.

They also harvest greens in passive solar greenhouses.  These greenhouses keep the ground thawed to allow the harvest of greens, such as kale and spinach, throughout the winter months.

Although Bread and Butter Farm offers a great array of food products, they also find it very important to connect with local communities.  Their method of growing community is through hosting weekly "Burger Nights" throughout the summer.  Their motto for these events is, "good food, good music, good people."  When I spoke with Erik he said that "Burger Nights" began last summer.  In the early months there were around 100 attendees, but by the end of the summer at least 400 locals would arrive, ready for a great night.

These nights are 100% local as they offer burgers from cows raised right on the farm that you can actually go meet! (well sort of!)  The bread is made the day of the event and all of the salad greens are produced in the farm's greenhouses.  If you are not in the mood for a juicy burger you can certainty go down the route of a delicious veggie burger from the farm down the road.  These nights are great opportunities for the community to not only have a great time but to really see where their food comes from.  I would encourage anyone and everyone to attend one of these "Burger Nights," as I plan to as soon as they start up again in the warmer months!

Bread and Butter Farm is a great example of a local farm that is run almost entirely by community support.  All of the production is local, and they treat their animals with the highest level of care.  They recycle nutrients when possible and don't wear out any of their valuable resources.  Most importantly they are able to connect back to the community by allowing open access to their farm at all times and offering community events.  Bread and Butter Farm should be used as an example for other farms to encourage the best possible farming techniques.