THE NEW FAMILY FARM: Bay Hammond of DooLittle Farm

Although Vermont has lost many small and mid-size family farms over the last century, a new awareness about sustainable agriculture is spreading across the state, bringing with it young farmers who are drawn to the Champlain Valley for its rich, rolling landscape and history of cultivation. Some of these farmers are new to growing but others are not, proving that even in 2014, farming can still be a family business.

Ever since she can remember, Bay Hammond has loved gardening. No matter where she is or what space she has available, you can find her planting--even if it only means a few flower boxes on a balcony. Bay grew up on a farm in Upton, Massachusetts, and spent summers with her grandmother in Middlebury, Vermont, where she chose to play in the barn and garden over going to camp like her siblings and friends. Her father was a chemist who raised cows, sheep, and apples. His love for the natural sciences rubbed off on Bay, who dabbled in nutrition, chemistry, and aquatic farming throughout college. She transferred four times from Dean College in Massachusetts to Broward Community College in Florida to Framingham State University back in Massachusetts, and finally to Johnson State College in Johnson, Vermont, where she completed a degree in Holistic Health.

Bay dabbled after college, too, working on and off as a waitress, bartender, and in a lab conducting nutritional analysis of farmers’ forage. She repeatedly found herself bored unless she could be outside, working close to land. When she met her carpenter husband, John, and moved with him to a 100-acre farm in Ferrisburg, Vermont, in 1986, she planted a big vegetable garden. She cared for the garden and raised their two young children, Nick and Hillary, while John started a custom homes and renovations business. Her harvests were so bountiful, however, that she started giving extra produce away to friends. Then, somewhat hesitantly, she began selling at farmers’ markets. “Maybe it’s a woman thing, but it’s really hard to charge people for food, because you are wanting to feed the world,” says Bay. “I don’t want you to have to pay for a good meal...It’s always been hard for me to put the dollar value on it, especially when you start by just giving it away.”

As Bay grew to embrace the business side of farming, she transitioned from growing vegetables to raising animals. She found that farmers’ markets had become saturated with vegetable producers; there was less competition in the meat market and she could sell her meat at a higher price point. In 1996, the family moved to Shoreham, Vermont, and settled on a larger, 175-acre sheep farm turned dairy turned beef farm. There, Bay invested in sheep, chickens and draft horses. True to her gardening background, she also planted a vegetable garden and leased neighboring land to grow blueberries. Over the last fourteen years, her range of animals has grown to include goats, turkeys, and pigs. She now sells her meat and eggs not only on the farm and through a CSA, but also at the Middlebury Farmers’ Market, Middlebury Natural Foods Co-Op, City Market in Burlington, and the Middlebury College and Charlotte online farmers’ markets.

Bay raises almost all of her animals organically and free-range. Although she uses antibiotics to treat her sheep for parasites when necessary, in general she relies on homeopathy, an alternative, holistic approach to medicine. She has been a proponent of homeopathy for over twenty years, ever since she experimented with it to heal a very sick pony on her Ferrisburg farm. She was able to fix the pony naturally, while waiting for the vet to arrive. Bay earned an official veterinary homeopathy certification five years ago and now offers homeopathy for animals throughout Addison County. She is also part of a homeopathy study group in Leicester, Vermont, and sells natural remedies like sulfur and salt to farmers. Although local vets and fellow farmers were dubious of her technique at first, they have grown to trust and depend on her natural approach; some vets even consult Bay on cases and patients today.

In recent years, the farm has grown beyond Bay to become a family enterprise. Bay’s son Nick studied farming at Sterling College in Craftsbury, Vermont, and recently returned to the farm with his wife, Martha, to help manage the draft horses, sugaring, and processing of chickens and turkeys. Martha herself has taken over caring for the goats, blueberry bushes, and newly-planted sunflowers. Bay’s daughter Hillary studied animal sciences at the University of Vermont and now cuts meat, raises sheep, and makes goat cheese on the farm. Bay’s husband John helps around the farm too, sugaring, haying, and fixing equipment when he is not busy with his carpentry.

Nick and Hillary’s budding passions for farming reflect a general awareness about local and organic food that has grown throughout Addison County over the course of Bay’s almost 30-year farming career. “The whole food culture of the community has been really fun to watch—that explosion of awareness,” says Bay. “If you don’t want to get involved in the food culture, you don’t need to, but…there are so many farms and so many people involved in producing that level of food that it’s easier and easier to access. Especially in comparison to when I had young kids and struggled to find fresh, local, natural food.”

Albeit still limited, resources for farmers have also expanded over Bay’s career. As a young farmer, she found guidance through the Women’s Agricultural Network at the University of Vermont, but many farmers suffered from a lack of infrastructure. “Farmers were always complaining. They couldn’t make enough money, there was no support…And it was true! It was hard for people to find the information they needed,” says Bay. “Now we have all of these resources, and the farmers’ markets are flourishing, and we can’t whine or gripe anymore.” Although there is still much room for improvement, the growing dialogue about farming in Vermont has certainly benefitted both old and new generations of farmers.

Bay herself helps provide a network for new and emerging farmers by speaking at NOFA conferences and serving on the board of the Vermont Sheep and Goat Association. When she is not tending to her animals, she loves cooking, knitting, reading, and of course gardening, which gives her the opportunity to soak up the surrounding landscape. “Vermont is just really nice-feeling. There’s a little bit of everything here,” says Bay. “It’s easier to find the opportunity to slow down and be outside and be part of the community. I love the weather, the seasons, the views, the mountains.” Her children clearly share her sentiments too, and if they continue in her footsteps, will foster the state’s rich farming heritage for many years to come.

The following recipe calls for organic Doolittle Farm chicken and is inspired by Mediterranean flavors. Fresh mint and cilantro bring the whole dish together, which is best served over salad or with crackers.

MANGO CHICKEN SALAD

1 whole chicken breast (two halves)

½ bulb of fennel, chopped

4 stalks of celery, chopped

1 bunch of scallions

1/3 cup raisins

1 mango, chopped in ½ inch chunks (about 1 ½ cups)

3 tbsp chopped fresh mint plus more to garnish

2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro plus more to garnish

Salt and pepper to taste

Dressing

¼ cup olive oil

1 tbsp tahini

1 tbsp honey

½ tbsp cumin

¼ tsp paprika

¼ tsp dried oregano

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp lemon zest

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 clove garlic, minced

¼ cup plain Greek yogurt

Preheat oven to 350 F. Place raw chicken breast in a small baking dish. Brush lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake until chicken is white and juicy, about 30 minutes, flipping half way through. Cool and cut into ½ inch chunks.

Toss chicken with fennel, celery, raisins, mango, mint, and cilantro.

Whisk all dressing ingredients together. Pour over chicken mixture and toss to coat. Chill for a few hours before serving, to allow chicken to absorb the flavors of the dressing. Serve with a dash of salt, pepper and extra mint and cilantro.

Serves 4