Field Notes

A farm dream realized at Lucas Dairy Farm

5 min read / November 12, 2024 / By Laura Hardie

Beginning farmer takes on legacy farm

After working on their family farm their entire lives, Mike and Tom Audet realized they needed to find a new owner. That was the start of a multi-year process: with VLT’s support, they found the right person, and a beginning dairy farmer bought his first farm.

A multi-generational farm family looking for a new owner

Brothers Mike and Tom Audet are third-generation dairy farmers and maple syrup producers who have lived and worked on their family farm, Ledge Haven Farm, in Orwell, Vermont, their entire lives.

“There’s a lot of pride in a generational business,” Tom said (pictured in yellow t-shirt).

But over time, the risk began to outweigh the reward of keeping the farm in the family. He said investing in crops and equipment became cost prohibitive.

“Especially when you can’t find help,” he said. “And we didn’t have family that wanted to step in and be farmers.”

The Audets wanted to stay connected to the land without as much responsibility.

So, they decided it was time to find a new owner ready to take on the challenges of dairy farming.

Connecting with a first-generation dairy farmer

In 2015, they contacted VLT and asked for help building a list of people interested in leasing their farm with the possibility of eventual ownership.

And in less than a year, a connection was made. Jon Lucas, a first-generation dairy farmer who moved from New Hampshire to Vermont in 2008 to rent a farm in Starksboro, realized that he would never be able to buy the land he was renting.

With a dream of farm ownership, Jon moved his then 270-head dairy operation, Lucas Dairy Farm, to Orwell.

After six years, when the Audets were ready to sell, Jon’s dream came true. With the help of VLT, he purchased most of the Audet farm, including a well-known 1880 barn that’s often photographed. The hefty price tag was reduced because VLT purchased the development rights and Jon conserved 390 acres of farmland, wetlands, streams, and woods.

Forever a place for farm dreams

The Audets and Lucas agree the connection they’ve made is a gift.

“This place feels like home,” Jon said. For years he had questioned if he would ever realize his dream of farm ownership or quit and “get a day job.” “I was kind of a traveling circus before I came here; I just never really fit anywhere.”

He’s now making updates to the farm that he couldn’t do on a rental agreement, like barn renovations.

As labor shortages continue to plague dairy farmers, he’s also thinking about a future where robots play a role.

“You kind of always dream big as far as what you want for the place. It’s never perfect…There’s a lot of satisfaction in always moving forward and seeing things to fruition,” Jon said.

Preserving a legacy and a way of life

The agreement he and the Audets have made has allowed Tom and Mike to stay on in a unique arrangement: they’re mentoring Jon, sugaring 30 acres for their maple operation, and watching the farm continue from their homes.

“We won’t be wiped off the face of the earth,” Tom said, chuckling. “We will still have a presence.”

And Mike chimed in, “An identity.”

For Jon, Mike, and Tom, conserving the farm goes beyond the land itself; it’s about preserving a legacy and a way of life.

“This place feels like home.”