Justin Bramhall and Vanessa Rose Are Part of the Solution
The occasional summer I would go to Arkansas for a few nights when my family would make the trip out there from Dallas, Texas, they would only stay for a short period it was my aunt and uncle's Chicken farm. They were conventional growers for Tyson. It was a fun time out there, but I do remember thinking this is an enormous amount of hard work. My aunt and uncle never get to leave this farm and there's one thing I know for sure. And that's--I don't want to be a farmer.—Vanessa
Chickens can't be productive without a grain implement. The other thing is a lot of our farmland needs a lot more nutrients in the soil. This is an input into the system, but the intention is that this input is helping make our soils more productive and more regenerative over time so that we can support more ruminant animals on a given land base. Hopefully that will help the farm be more productive and profitable and sustainable. —Justin
Our names are Justin and Vanessa and we're first generation farmers with a passion for healing our environment. Justin has a background in permaculture design and education, and Vanessa is a graphic designer and marketer. We use our past experiences daily to grow our farm, and to help refine our customers understanding of regenerative agriculture, organic growing practices and how they can positively contribute to healing our food systems. We pride ourselves in providing high quality, fresh and healthy food from the land in a way that benefits the environment.
We deeply value our community, which makes our work rewarding, but we know food producers are facing some serious challenges (because of ongoing climate change) and we want to help face those issues head on. How our food is farmed can either add to the destruction of our planet or it can do the opposite- creating abundance and resiliency across our communities.
Leaping Bear Farm email address
Leaping Bear Farm website
Leaping Bear Farm Instagram
Leaping Bear Farm Facebook
Vermont Land Trust web site
Real Organic Project
Vermont Farm & Forest Viability Program website
New England Farm Link website
Northeast Farmers of Color Land Trust website
2022 USDA Ag Census website
New England Grazing Network web site
Christine Jones soil health tour link
Vermont Grass Farmers Association web site
More educational and transformational offerings from Jenn Colby
Whole Human web site
Choosing to Farm Patreon link
Leave us a review or buy us a coffee at Choosing to Farm!
The Choosing to Farm podcast is all about telling origin stories, learning from the journeys, and creating connection among first-and returning-generation livestock farmers and ranchers across the US and the world. After nearly 30 years working professionally in agriculture as well as being a returning-generation farmer myself, I’m here to share stories, tips and resources to help livestock farmers and ranchers heal our relationship with success. Want to help? Like, share or review this episode! Want to help even more? Join our Patreon to support the show or even buy me a cup of coffee at the Choosing to Farm web site!
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/choosingtofarm/message
Leaping Bear Farm, Justin Bramhall & Vanessa Rose
Owner/Operators
We strongly believe that regenerative agriculture is the future. Leaping Bear Farm was started in April 2019 because we wanted to make an impact on our food system. In the beginning, Justin focused on pasture raised and organically fed whole chickens and fresh eggs. By the end of that season Justin added microgreens as a way to grow fresh product through the winter. Justin and Vanessa met at the start of the 2021 growing season and started working together to develop Leaping Bear Farm into a sustainable business. Vanessa’s marketing and design experience enabled us to create a memorable brand, revamp our online presence and packaging and create an inviting farmers market booth.
At the start of the 2022 season, Leaping Bear Farm’s pasture raised chicken, eggs and microgreens proudly became certified organic! In 2022, we also added homemade canned chicken stock utilizing our chicken backs and necks, which has quickly become a top seller.
This year we are planning to raise 1600+ broilers and 600 layers (effectively producing 300 dozen eggs a week). We vend at three farmers’ markets and we wholesale to local food co-ops, local restaurants, The Putney Food Shelf, and multiple local active farm stores, providing year-round market access to the highest quality, beyond organic chicken products you can find on the market. We are the only certified organic, pasture raised chicken producer in the region.
Justin Bramhall & Vanessa Rose
Co-Owners of Leaping Bear Farm
Our names are Justin and Vanessa and we're first generation
farmers with a passion for healing our environment. Justin has a background in permaculture design and education, and Vanessa is a graphic designer and marketer. We use our past experiences daily to grow our farm, and to help refine our customers understanding of regenerative agriculture, organic growing practices and how they can positively contribute to healing our food systems. We pride ourselves in providing high quality, fresh and healthy food from the land in a way that benefits the environment.
We deeply value our community, which makes our work rewarding, but we know food producers are facing some serious challenges (because of ongoing climate change) and we want to help face those issues head on. How our food is farmed can either add to the destruction of our planet or it can do the opposite- creating abundance and resiliency across our communities.
Listen On
