Bear Roots Farm

Butterfly Bakery of Vermont & Fat Toad Farm

"Butterfly Bakery gives us a market we don’t have to invent or manage every single day. If I get a flat tire, I’m not missing my one chance to sell that week. Our days are more predictable and our mission is clearer. We can focus on growing 15 crops really well instead of juggling 30 just to stay competitive at the farmers’ market. I can focus on farming instead of marketing."

- Geoff Kleis of Familia Farm

Bear Roots Farm

Inspired by a friend who worked on a farm, Karin Bellemare and Jon Wagner began farming on family property in Sag Harbor, Long Island, before moving to Vermont in 2013. They started volunteering at a CSA farm, gaining experience, and eventually bought a farm in Barre, Vermont with the help of the Vermont Land Trust.

Bear Roots Farm has since grown to include another farm in Williamstown, Vermont and now has over 100 tillable acres and a 100-member CSA, with a focus on diverse, year-round certified-organic farming. Throughout this growth and evolution they have implemented sustainable practices like solar panels.

In 2019, Jon and Karin also opened The Roots Farm Market in Middlesex, Vermont, a year-round store to sell their produce.

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