Vermont Photographer in Burlington | Monica Donovan

Farming and Food: Vermont Photography

The localvore movement has captured the imagination of the public in the last few years, making terms like "locally grown" and "slow food" appealing to the average consumer. But Burlington, Vermont has been doing this for decades, since organic food and local co-ops were a modest market niche reserved for hippies and new-agers.  

Vermont leads the nation in per-capita direct sales of produce from farmers to consumers. In 1989 the Intervale launched Vermont's first CSA, the second in the country. Today, the Intervale is home to eleven farms and has an 'incubator' program to help new farmers get off the ground. There are 7,000 farms in Vermont, ranging from conventional dairy to grass-fed organic beef to diversified CSA farms.  

Vermont prides itself in being fiercely independent, being one of four states in which billboards are banned and the only state whose capitol doesn't have a McDonald's. Ironically, Burlington's only McDonald's went out of business after languishing on a side street for years, and the building was purchased by Farmhouse Tap and Grill, a farm-to-table restaurant.  

The food scene in Burlington is bustling; it's not unusual to see a menu loaded with seasonal produce and specialty items from neighborhood farms. Restaurants such as Farmhouse design their menu based on collaborations with farms, and offer dishes based on what is seasonally available, fresh, and delicious. 

It takes more than a few catchy slogans and a local farmer's market to change the way consumers buy their food. A change in the food system requires changing not just the way we eat, but drastic changes in our mindset and lifestyle as well. In the last year I've been exploring food culture in Burlington, starting with the fields and following food to its final destination.  

  • Goats at Ayers Brook Farm in Randolph, Vermont.
  • Conant Barn in Richmond, Vermont.
  • Ed LASTNAME cools off the pigs on a hot day at Bragg Farm in Fayston, Vermont.
  • A sow munches at mealtime, as her piglets look on. All of Jericho Settlers' pigs are pasture-raised and the farm offers a number of meat shares for CSA members.
  • Bragg Farm in Fayston, Vermont.
  • Pigs at Bragg Farm in Fayston, Vermont.
  • Nathan Rogers eats fresh raspberres at Bragg Farm in Fayston, Vermont.
  • Ed LASTNAME brings Ploughgate Creamery buttermilk to the pigs at Bragg Farm in Fayston, Vermont.
  • A farm worker moves fencing for Jericho Settlers' 1400 or so free-range hens. The chickens are frequently rotated and follow the cows and sheep. In the spring, after the birds are out on pasture, they pull composted pine shavings from the hen house and chicken manure to spread on the vegetable fields.
  • A farm worker pauses to wipe the sweat off his brow while weeding tiny herb seedlings. Open Heart Farm, Intervale, Vermont.
  • Josh May drives a tractor at Open Heart Farm, at the Intervale in Burlington Vermont.
  • Mike Eastman of Addison, Vermont with his grass-fed cows.
  • A chicken pecks among the blueberry bushes at Isham Family Farm, a diversified farm in Williston, Vermont, on Tuesday, August 9, 2016.
  • Mike Isham, {quote}Farmer Mike,{quote} shows off his hat at Isham Family Farm, a diversified farm in Williston, Vermont, on Tuesday, August 9, 2016.
  • Goat at Ayers Brook Farm in Randolph, Vermont.
  • Mike Isham drives his tractor at Isham Family Farm, a diversified farm in Williston, Vermont, on Tuesday, August 9, 2016.
  • Carolyn Pillsbury of Williston picks blueberries at Isham Family Farm, a diversified farm in Williston, Vermont, on Tuesday, August 9, 2016.
  • Farm equipment at Ayers Brook Farm in Randolph, Vermont.
  • Conant Barn in Richmond, Vermont.
  • Cornfields stretch across the hills near Conant Barn in Richmond, Vermont.
  • Conant Barn in Richmond, Vermont.
  • Goats at Ayers Brook Farm in Randolph, Vermont.
  • Josh May of Open Heart Farm rinses heads of lettuce after harvesting, at the Intervale in Burlington, Vermont. Next the produce will be stored in bins before being distributed to the farm's CSA members and various farmer's markets.
  • Free-range chickens at Jericho Settlers Farm in Jericho, Vermont.
  • Ed LASTNAME makes butter for Ploughgate Creamery at Bragg Farm in Fayston, Vermont.
  • Ed LASTNAME makes butter for Ploughgate Creamery at Bragg Farm in Fayston, Vermont.
  • Ploughgate Creamery butter at Bragg Farm in Fayston, Vermont.
  • A free-range chicken lays an egg at Jericho Settlers Farm in Jericho Vermont.
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  • Christa harvests fennel in early fall. The farm grows a wide variety of produce.
  • Ransom Conant, his wife Alison and baby CC on a late summer evening at Conant Barn in Richmond, Vermont.
  • Ransom Conant on a late summer evening at Conant Barn in Richmond, Vermont.
  • John, a Jericho Settlers Farm worker, helps to build a new green house.
  • Miles Hooper mows the grass at Ayers Brook Farm in Randolph, Vermont.
  • John Forgues fixes a piece of farm equipment at his conventional dairy farm in Addison, Vermont.
  • Half gallon of raw milk and barn door sign at a small dairy in Hardwick Vermont, New Engand.
  • A farm worker shows off a candy cane beet, freshly harvested from the field in Jericho, Vermont.
  • A farm worker prepares the Jericho Settlers stand for Burlington's weekly farmer's market at City Hall Park, Burlington, Vermont.
  • Crates of potatoes await buyers at the Burlington Farmer's Market, Burlington, Vermont.
  • Jericho Settlers Farm turnips are chopped in preparation for Farmhouse Tap and Grill's busy dinner hour. The menu changes frequently and features seasonal produce, collaborating with nearby farms.
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