Good Heart Farmstead

Katie and Weylon at Good Heart Farmstead

Business Focus

Diversified 14-acre family farm perched on a hilltop, focused on providing healthy, local food to Vermonters of all income levels. Organic practices are utilized to produce veggies and broiler chickens for sale via their Veggie & Herb CSA and a few local wholesale accounts.

Loan Summary

Good Heart Farmstead approached the Vermont Farm Fund for a $10,000 Emergency Loan when a fire destroyed the barn they were using, taking their seed starts, tools and equipment with it.

The Backstory

Katie Spring and Edge Fuentes met at on a non-profit, educational farm in Alaska. The farm helped to form the vision of the farm they’d like to run, with an emphasis on making organic food accessible to those across the economic spectrum. After leasing land for about a year, the couple bought their new farm in September of 2012, and arranged a lease for their neighbor’s barn for storage, seed germination, CSA pick, workshop etc.

In March of 2013, five months pregnant and returning from Katie’s birthday dinner, the couple found that the barn was going up in flames, taking their tools, equipment and hopes for a smooth start to their first growing season with it. Good Heart estimated the replacement cost for their items at $9000, and the loss of the structure upwards of $50,000 to replace.

Katie and Edge immediately went into action mode, simultaneously applying for a $10k VFF Emergency Loan and launching an online fundraiser that would net $25,000. They used the combined funds to replace all their lost items, build a greenhouse addition to their sheep barn, and begin construction of a new barn structure based on an 1860’s barn frame they found on Craig’s List.

The Bottom Line

Two years post-fire, Katie and Edge are scheduled to pay off their loan on time, on the 1st of August. They are following their plan to invest in their farm, and grow their CSA membership, as well as their toddler son, Waylen. Good Heart Farmstead CSA membership is up to 60 for 2015, and they have their sights set on 80 for next year.

Katie blogs about her insights on farming and mindful and simple living rooted in connection to the earth. Check out her writing at: http://katiespring.com