Hilltop farm seeking others to create educational, permaculture community farm

The Land

We are looking for a few responsible, compatible, mostly sober farmers who want to come and steward the community farm where we live, creating a regenerative, permaculture community for healing, celebration, education, children, animals, and farming.

This landowner is a

Farmer or farm family

Quality of land

Our organic hilltop farm is a south facing bowl at the end of a dirt road maintained by the town. There are a number of springs and the soil is sandy loam. The majority of the land is forested, predominantly maple with potential for sugaring or firewood business. There is 25 acres open land with much overgrowth encroaching. Maybe 25 years ago it was closer 45 acres open and before that 90 acres open land, so we are open to reclaiming pasture and welcome help maintaining fields and edges. There are many wild areas that we work around and designed for silvapasture, as well as hundreds of wild apples. It's a special and magical spot with gorgeous views.

Enrolled in Current Use

Yes

Protected with conservation easement

No

Current forest management plan

Yes

Certified or qualified organic

No

External map links

View Location on Google Maps • View Soil Info on VT Natural Resources Atlas • View Atlas Tutorial

Farm Information

Farmer housing

Yes

Farmer housing details

We have been working on establishing three living spaces in the farmhouse, each with bathroom and kitchen and heat/wood stoves. There is a yurt a little ways from the house, and we aim to build our own house higher up on the land as we can get to it. In the summer, we have a camper or other more temporary dwellings are possible since there is lots of space. We are working on establishing an Airbnb business with farm tours in one or two of the spaces for the summer. The Vershire area is far from amenities and often people find it isolating (important for anyone considering moving to our place to consider and come to terms with).

Water source for farm use

Available

Type of water source

Drilled well, Shallow well or spring reservoir, Pond, River/stream

Water source details

The land is blessed with many springs and flowing streams. Some of them disappear in dry summers. We have a drilled well in the barnyard with a hydrant and 30 gallons/min. We are currently getting the water quality tested.

Farm infrastructure

Barn/farm buildings
Electricity/power

Description of farm infrastructure

We have a barn, equipment shed, some other sheds and a garage. Depending on what someone needs, we can likely shift some things around to accommodate. All infrastructure could use repairs! We would love to have a greenhouse of some kind soon.

Access to equipment

Available

Equipment details

We would need to discuss arrangements around this since equipment is expensive and repairs and replacement costs are expensive. We have an 80hp tractor, old haying equipment, brush hog, auger, and backhoe. We have a sawmill and BCS rotary plow. We also have a mule ATV and other water tanks, tools, sugaring equipment etc.
We believe in sharing equipment and farming and life in general, it is just about establishing agreements as we go that make sense and feel fair.

Tenure Arrangement

Collaborative model

Tenure arrangement details

We are looking for others who are compatible to live and farm in community with us and others. We are doing research around how to establish joint ownership for other permanent members. At this point, we would like to have other farmers using some of the land and in exchange for staying at the place. Currently, we need help with repairs of the buildings and would love to have help with our animal chores and other projects, like gardening and haying together, there’s lots of forestry work needed as well. We intend to be very clear with the arrangement of a certain number of hours in exchange for housing, how many hours depending on what the arrangement is. Communication skills appreciated.

Additional Information

We have used most of the open land for our horses and cows and hay production, and being hilltop the soils are thin. We have been working to improve our fields and are open to shifting our land use/ animal load, but at this point there is not much capacity for grazing and hay production except for smaller animals. There are fields nearby we have been offered to hay.
We are tired of being at the farm on our own and ready to share the work load and potentials for this beautiful place to become something great and have fun! We have some business propositions around Airbnb and hosting events that we would be happy to work together and share in profits with based on work contributions.