Ansel Ploog and Justin Cote founded Flywheel Farm LLC in Woodbury in 2013 with the goal to create a farm that primarily serves local wholesale and regional markets on limited acreage. Their VFF loan will allow them to purchase transplanters, a larger cistern, and build a small office cabin on the farm.
Read MoreCalderwood Goat Dairy milks Alpine and Saanen goats, two of the top milking breeds. They came to the Vermont Farm Fund for a Business Builder Loan to build a 40'x104’ coverall barn to be able to expand up to 200 milking head.
Read MoreKingsbury Market Garden came to the Vermont Farm Fund for a $10,000 Business Builder Loan to purchase a leaf separating machine for use in processing medicinal herbs. This machine will separate leaves from stems on crops like peppermint and nettle.
Read MoreFour Pillars Farm is a diversified Organic vegetable farm in Whiting, VT on 14.5 acres, using 4 acres for vegetable crops. Owner Peter Cousineau started the farm in 2012 to supply greens to wholesale accounts at the Middlebury Natural Foods coop, Healthy Living Market and City Market. This year, with the help of a Business Builder Loan from the Vermont Farm Fund, Four Pillars will expand to offer a CSA.
Read MoreGood Heart Farmstead is a certified organic vegetable and herb farm in Worcester, VT owned by husband and wife, Edge Fuentes and Kate Spring. They grow about 40 different crops and market their produce mainly through a CSA, and also sell salad greens to Montpelier restaurants. A $5,000 Business Builder Loan from the VFF allowed them to purchase a Paper Pot transplanter and expand their current irrigation system.
Read MoreVermont Cranberry Company grows and processes cranberries for fresh market sales. They also press 100% cranberry juice, and provide wholesale cranberries for wine, cider and beverage producers. A Business Builder Loan from the Vermont Farm Fund allowed VCC to add berry transfer decks, a berry splitter, pumps and a higher capacity filler to their processing facilities.
Read MoreA Drop of Joy works directly with local farmers and Vermont-based companies to produce custom juices and condiments from local fruits and vegetables. A $10k Business Builder loan allowed them to upgrade their juicing and mixing equipment.
Read MoreCara and Jeremiah turned to the VFF for a $15k Business Builder loan to purchase some efficiency-gaining small equipment and continue work on their farmstand. The Tyrells will use their loan to get their farmstand buttoned up with a concrete floor, insulation, 4-season heat, and a sliding door cooler.
Read MoreThe Butterfield brothers turned to the VFF for a $20k Business Builder Loan to startup a yogurt-making operation after researching value-added options for their 50-head dairy. David and Christopher are enthusiastic about selling their new cream-on-top yogurt to local grocers.
Read MoreSeeking to improve their herb dehydration capacity and efficiency, Melanie and Jeff Carpenter recently borrowed $30k from the Vermont Farm Fund to design and build innovative batch dryers to help them maintain the valuable medicinal compounds such as essential oils that their customers seek.
Read MoreWith the help of a $10k Business Builder Loan from the Vermont Farm Fund, Dave Hartshorn opened his roadside sugar house with upgraded production equipment and stepped-up promotion. The sugar house will help Hartshorn’s improve its bottom line with increased direct-to-consumer maple syrup sales, including tasty maple confections.
Read MoreTangletown Farm is a repeat VFF borrower. Their Business Builder loan will help them increase their flock of layers, improve their management of the birds and even make the retired gals available as ground pet food. Yes, pets can eat local too!
Read MoreIncluded in the first round lending for Tropical Storm Irene recovery, KBMG was the first borrower to pay back their loan in full. A $30k Business Builder Loan is now helping Aaron Locker make his recently purchased farm more efficient and profitable with new equipment and construction.
Read MoreAshley and Erin Farr have a philosophy of working smarter on their Richmond, VT dairy farm. A $30k VFF business builder loan enabled them to build out their infrastructure, including low-heat pasteurization, milk bottling and gelato making equipment.
Read MoreAn organic, grass-based dairy, Kiss the Cow Farm wanted to move from selling raw milk off the farm to making ice cream from their lightly pasteurized milk. A $15k Business Builder Loan went toward the purchase of pasteurization and ice cream making equipment, helping the Robars jumpstart their frozen treat business.
Read MoreBeth and Bruce were far along rebuilding their barn after a fire burnt it to the ground in 2014. They contacted the VFF for a $30k Business Builder Loan to help them upgrade their poultry processing, cooling and freezing equipment, a marked improvement over their previous facilities.
Read MoreAdam and Christine faced a choice, either expand the land of their diversified, organic family farm, or scale down and farm more intensively. They chose the latter and sought a Business Builder Loan to help them to transition to a more efficient, no-till permanent raised bed system.
Read MoreWith their range of offerings outpacing their available building space, Corie and Adam found themselves having to rotate business functions out of a single facility. A $20,000 Business Builder Loan helped Bread and Butter Farm fund a combined renovation/addition of their existing facilities.
Read MoreLooking to jump start their fruit nursery business, the Haydens applied for a VFF Business Builder loan. The funds will enable The Farm Between to build their inventory for sale and propagation and more.
Read MoreThe Webbs replaced their smaller loan with a $30,000 Business Builder loan from the VFF to implement an environmentally sound nutrient recovery / irrigation system that they are hoping will be a model for other Vermont farms.
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