2018 Farm crew
Taylor and Jake, farm owners
Photo by Brian Jenkins Photography.
Photo by Brian Jenkins Photography.
Noah, farm crew
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Stefany, farm crew
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Spud, farm dog and resident mischief maker
Founded in 2013, Footprint Farm is a small farm in most respects. We raise certified Organic vegetables plus eggs that are not certified this year but are produced using the same organic standards. We have a CSA at the heart of our farm, which is a membership program in which 75 families from our community sign up for a season's worth of produce, eggs, or flowers. In addition, we sell at the Shelburne Farmers Market, a few local restaurants, and we grow and arrange flowers for our Flower CSA.
We (Taylor Hutchison and Jake Mendell) met in 2011 as outdoor educators at a wildly romantic little farm in Northern California. Jake is from Vermont, but he followed the familiar call of the Golden State after studying health and nutrition in college. Taylor studied Public Health in California, spent a year writing grants in Boston, then headed back home to teach kids about food, cooking and goat milking. After a year of teaching kids, and another year working on a farm, an amazing land opportunity popped up in Vermont. Taylor had not planned to move back east again, but agreed to follow Jake to Vermont because he promised that maple syrup flowed from trees and that Vermonters spend their leisure time eating kale and knitting.
Together we make up a pretty great team. Jake manages the animals, monitors our soil health and planting schedules, and keeps our old tractor running. Taylor manages harvests and vegetable washing, keeps track of the finances, and spends free time organizing events for the Vermont Young Farmers Coalition and working in the local elementary school's mentoring program. The management team is rounded out by our four year old farm dog, Spud. He keeps up the appropriate amount of howling, vole chasing, and hole digging needed on the farm. Each year we also employ two farm crew members to help us keep things together on the farm.
We (Taylor Hutchison and Jake Mendell) met in 2011 as outdoor educators at a wildly romantic little farm in Northern California. Jake is from Vermont, but he followed the familiar call of the Golden State after studying health and nutrition in college. Taylor studied Public Health in California, spent a year writing grants in Boston, then headed back home to teach kids about food, cooking and goat milking. After a year of teaching kids, and another year working on a farm, an amazing land opportunity popped up in Vermont. Taylor had not planned to move back east again, but agreed to follow Jake to Vermont because he promised that maple syrup flowed from trees and that Vermonters spend their leisure time eating kale and knitting.
Together we make up a pretty great team. Jake manages the animals, monitors our soil health and planting schedules, and keeps our old tractor running. Taylor manages harvests and vegetable washing, keeps track of the finances, and spends free time organizing events for the Vermont Young Farmers Coalition and working in the local elementary school's mentoring program. The management team is rounded out by our four year old farm dog, Spud. He keeps up the appropriate amount of howling, vole chasing, and hole digging needed on the farm. Each year we also employ two farm crew members to help us keep things together on the farm.
