Suzanne's Mom's Blog

Vermonters care a lot about their farms. So when a dairy farm in South Woodstock was threatened with development, the neighbors bought it.

“Perched on a hill overlooking a valley,” writes Ann Trieger Kurland at the Boston Globe, “Farmstead Cheese Co. began as a neighborly plan to preserve a dairy farm.

“The bucolic 18-acre site was a former water buffalo farm and creamery that produced mozzarella and yogurt. When its owners moved to Canada and put the land up for sale, locals worried about the loss of jobs and the disappearance of another bit of the Green Mountain State’s rich heritage. They feared that the pastoral landscape might be grabbed by a developer.

“So 14 neighbors banded together to buy the farm and decided cheese making might safeguard its future. Within the year, they rebuilt the creamery, brought in a mixed breed herd — Holstein, Jersey, Ayrshire, and Swiss Brown — to blend milks and make farmstead cheese. They started the first community-owned dairy farm in the state. In two years, the company has won dozens of awards for its cheddar, a harvarti-style tilsit, Edam, and English and French-style cheeses.

“The new owners are not novices. They include seasoned farmers and food industry executives who hired experienced staff. The top cheese maker, Rick Woods, 46, has been plying his craft for 19 years. ‘We’re a new company, but it’s not the first time around the block for these people,’ says Sharon Huntley, who is in charge of marketing.” Read more about the community-owned farm and where you can buy the cheeses.