Healing land, living in balance with ecosystems

The land under the Collective’s care needs that kind of patience. Founding member and farmer Corie Pierce of Bread & Butter Farm recalls, “When we began managing the property, the soils showed the wear of many years in intensive hay.” Like much farmland that has seen decades of the same crop, the clay soils were compacted and in need of renewal. Still, its location made it compelling.

The 360-acre property, known locally as the Auclair Farm after the family that cared for it for generations, sits close to Bread & Butter’s existing 143-acre beef, pig, and organic vegetable operation straddling South Burlington and Shelburne, and neighbors other farms. It’s also near Vermont’s largest population center. The Collective saw an opportunity worth the effort.

They have since poured resources into the land. With support from USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, Vermont Agency of Agriculture, and Vermont Housing & Conservation Board, they’ve installed fencing and water systems and plan to plant thousands of trees in agroforestry systems. “We’re basically in the mode of trying to build soil health,” Corie says.

Making a sustainable living with the land

Cattle are now grazing much of the acreage (riparian areas excluded), and the farm businesses associated with the Collective are planning for diversified rotations with sheep, poultry, and pigs as the soils rebound and once infrastructure is in place.

The goal is to make a sustainable living with the land, Corie says. “Success is recognizing humans are intrinsically part of the natural world. We can make a living in balance with these ecosystems, and support many families, without extracting.”

In addition to Brandon and Corie, the Collective’s board includes Mike Proia of the Blank Page Café co-located at Bread & Butter Farm, Kieran and Breana Killeen of the neighboring Killeen Crossroads Farm, and V. Ernesto Méndez, Co-Director of the UVM Institute for Agroecology.

When TAC bought the land, it inherited the pre-existing land lease to Bread & Butter Farm who had been farming the land since 2018. Because the land is conserved and held by a nonprofit, leases are structured to be affordable, long-term, and renewable, giving farm and food businesses the security to invest in systems that endure.

Collaboration, not competition: A bold vision for secure land access and farm housing

Stacy Cibula, Agricultural Director at the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board (a key funder for the land’s conservation), sees TAC’s model addressing some of Vermont’s most pressing farm challenges.

“Rising land costs and short-term leases are among the biggest barriers farmers face,” she says. “When you strip away development rights and create long-term ground leases, you’re opening the door for people to invest in their businesses and their land.”

She also points to TAC’s focus on people and infrastructure. “We hear all the time that there’s not enough affordable housing for farm workers. Having the housing piece has always been a crucial part of it,” she says.

And in a county where many food businesses sit within a few miles of each other, the farmers’ choice to collaborate stands out: “Rather than competing in a tight market, they asked, ‘What can we create together?’ That’s impactful.”

Looking ahead

Looking ahead, the Collective plans to identify aligned businesses interested in leasing and is exploring how lessees might one day apply to TAC itself for lending opportunities — another way to lower barriers for farmers.

They’re also working with area towns to create up to 14 miles of new public recreational trails that connect the land to other conserved properties.

None of the work, Corie says, is about short-term gain.

“None of us are doing this just for our own careers,” she says. “We want healthy land, healthy communities, and healthy ecosystems for the generations that follow.”

Photo: L to R, Breana Killeen, Brandon Bless (seated), Corie Pierce (with hat), and Kieran Killeen (seated, far right).

All photos by Caleb Kenna.