The 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.

With 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.

Tangletown 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!

Included 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.

Ashley 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.

An 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.

Beth 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.

Adam 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.

With 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.

Looking 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.

The 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.

After paying back their Emergency Loan early, the diversified organic farm came back to us for a $30,000 Business Builder Loan to help finish up the construction of their new barn with wash, pack and cold storage facilities.

A Vermont Farm Fund Business Builder loan helped Joe Bossen take advantage of a grant from Vermont Farm Viability to build Vermont Bean Crafters’ infrastructure for aggregating; cleaning and storing dry beans and other staple crops.

A $10,000 Business Builder loan from the VFF made it possible for the Tyrrells to undertake a season-extending greenhouse project. They promptly paid off the loan four months later when they got their check from the NRCS.

After repeated flooding at the Intervale, Rob Rock decided to diversify Pitchfork Farm, relocating and downsizing his growing acreage. A Business Builder Loan is helping kickstart Rob's ag machinery and fabrication business, a bonus for Vermont farmers in need of his custom farm equipment and metal working services.

As demand for locally sourced, certified organic medicinal herbs has grown, the Carpenters have been consistently selling out of their harvest. A $10,000 VFF Business Builder Loan is helping the farm procure new equipment, increasing both their efficiency and production.

"Cranberry Bob" sought a VFF Business Builder Loan to outfit a new white room to FDA inspection standards. The improvements will enable Vermont Cranberry to expand wholesale production, pressing for more days per year and incorporating other fruits and vegetables like carrots into the mix.

Will Ameden of Under Orion Farm leveraged a $10,000 VFF Business Builder Loan in combination with a payback grant to accomplish $18,000 worth of improvements, positioning Orion and tenant incubator farms for expansion.