Mark & Kerry’s Farm is on a mission… To develop a well-diversified and community-focused business where nutritious, highest-quality foods can be produced in an organic and responsible manner, where land will be used wisely and conserved accordingly, where food and textile-producing animals will be raised using the most natural and humane techniques possible, where innovative ways to produce, market, and store foods can be researched and implemented, and where every opportunity will be taken to contribute to the community through: (1)production and sale of food that is not only nutritionally sound, but economically attainable by the majority of the public, (2) education in responsible land use, animal husbandry, and organic food production, (3) providing a place where individuals, families, and organizations can come to enjoy nature, and through (4) sharing of foodstuffs and resources with those in need.
What We Value
Producing healthy food for our community
Responsible land and animal stewardship
Fair and ethical business practices
Success through our own hard work
Products we can take pride in
Having enough to share with others
Providing a place of education and discovery for the community
An ever-growing knowledge base used to sustain resources, protect the working landscape, and produce the most nutritionally valuable food possible
The realization of 80-100% of our income and 70-90% of our food needs from farming, therefore leading to a fiscally and globally responsible lifestyle.
Mark and Kerry are no strangers to farming and the rural lifestyle. Even though we grew up a hundred miles apart, our lives paralleled each other in the most important ways. We both were brought up learning the value of hard work, the importance of family and community, the beauty of rural spaces, and a fierce determination to succeed. Along the way, we each learned different aspects of farming and different methods of self-reliance which, when combined, gives us the wealth of knowledge we need to be able to successfully run a multi-faceted, highly diversified farm business.
Looking Forward
We are almost home!! Conservation is underway on our target property through the Vermont Land Trust. This means that our property will be forever a farm and protected from development and non-agricultural/forestry use. Not only does this provide a place for growing things but it provides a place for the public to come and experience the wide open space and beauty of nature for years to come. Conservation also guarantees that our property is affordable not only to us but to whomever will farm it after us.
Our vision is to develop a farm where we can incorporate all of the agricultural and business skills as well as farming passions that we both bring to the partnership. Our target property of 300 acres will be revitalized into a family farm with an emphasis on production of organic vegetables, mushrooms, herbs, and pick-your-own berries; cage-free organic eggs, turkeys, and broilers; plenty of hay; and eventually goat’s/cow’s milk, cheeses, and ice cream!
We see their farm as a thriving community destination. We intend to market our products at affordable prices to the general public through on-farm sales and farmer’s market participation as well as a CSA, wholesale marketing to the numerous co-ops and local markets in Northern Vermont, and online sales. We also intend to continue to take part in the education of our local community and vacationers alike through the set-up of animal encounters throughout the year, milking and cheese making demonstrations, organic gardening classes, and demonstrations in maple sugaring, wreath making, and all other things authentically Vermont.
Investing in our project helps to provide us with the remainder of the funds needed to purchase the farm and get to work-growing food for everyone!
