Farm Spotlight: Boneyard Farm
Hanna and John Doyle first connected with the Intervale Center after applying for Vermont Land Trust's Farm Viability Program in 2019. As they were a small farm with a few years of experience as a business operation, Vermont Land Trust referred them to the Intervale Center's Beginning Farmer Program where they were connected with Nikki Lennart, one of the Intervale Center’s Farm Business Specialists. Nikki came out to the farm, got to know them and their business, personal, and farm goals and helped them clarify their vision. Nikki has been a helpful, outside voice as they try to navigate their operation of two small businesses and grow their young family.
Boneyard Farm is a small, diversified farm focused on the production of high-quality (pastured, non-gmo) meat and eggs. They also have a market garden with vegetables, herbs, and cut flowers, and make value-added products such as jam and pickles. They have owned their current 10-acre property for six years while making improvements to the land and growing their homestead into a farm. The farm is run mainly by Hannah, as a full-time farm-at-home-mom with her 2-year-old son/farm assistant Reuben. John is self-employed as a fence contractor and helps on the farm whenever possible.
The Intervale Center has helped them in legitimizing and formalizing their business plan. Particularly with the financial projections and statements. They have the templates, guidance, and ability to ask questions and get a second set of eyes on their exhaustive and sometimes-exhausting business plan process. Nikki also made it clear that she would always be available as a voice at the table and/or an advocate. This spring, she wrote a letter of support on their behalf when they applied for (and received) a microgrant from the American Farmland Trust.
In the short term-- within a year—they hope to close on their forever farm! They have been working to purchase a 180-acre piece of land nearby for over a year and are moving forward in the process. Long-term, they hope to continue working with the Intervale Center to periodically check in and be held accountable on their business planning goals and strategies. They hope to lean on the Intervale Center for technical assistance and/or to help identify other resources along the way, as they steadily and significantly grow their business and their farming operation.
Because of COVID-19, they made the tough choice to sit out farmers markets for the season. This is normally how the general public accesses their food. However, they are doing free home delivery routes to local towns including Fairfield, Fairfax, St Albans, Georgia, Fairfax, Fletcher, Bakersfield, Jeffersonville, Cambridge, Underhill, Sheldon, Enosburg, Berkshire, and Montgomery. Anyone in those towns can reach out (boneyardfarmers@gmail.com) for more info or to sign up. Products for delivery include eggs, veggies, chickens, and value-added products. They also regularly sell eggs and produce to The Farm Store in Jeffersonville and occasionally to a few local restaurants/bakeries. Their meat is sold mainly directly to consumers: households sign up and reserve bulk pork shares (half or whole hog, or sampler box) or chickens. They hope to open a retail farmstand in their new location, spring 2021.