Champlain Orchards

Location Shoreham, VT
Acreage 660
Protected Since 1998

An ecologically minded Vermont orchard offers pick-your-own fruit and a farm store showcases the land’s bounty

Champlain Orchards is one of Vermont’s longest-running orchards. Over 140 apples varieties are sold onsite and shipped across the northeast. The farm store offers everything from apple butter to hard cider to warm apple turnovers.

But visitors and pick-your-own enthusiasts will find more than apples. Depending on the season, the farm offers cherries, currants, raspberries, plums, peaches, and pears.

In 1998, VLT helped current owner, Bill Suhr, get a start on the land — one of our first farm affordability projects. The orchard was conserved at that time, and has expanded in the years since.

View on Google Maps.
Visit this property.

A Vermont pick-your-own tradition

If you’re an apple fan, you’re probably familiar with Red Delicious, Granny Smith, and Honeycrisp varieties. But what about Roxbury Russet? Or Zestar? Rambour Franc? At Champlain Orchards, you can find all of these varieties and more — much more.

Or take your pick (pun intended) of several other stone fruits and berries on offer. The orchard continues to test the boundaries of what can be grown in Vermont, from Asian pears to peaches and nectarines.

Striving for sustainability

Another exciting element of Champlain Orchards’ business is their approach to sustainability. The farm generates much of its power from on-farm solar panels.

And, while it can be quite difficult to grow apples organically in the northeastern United States, the orchard takes great care to manage their fruit ecologically by taking part in a fruit certification program.

Champlain Orchard's Eco-certified apples

All apples are EcoCertified, which means growing practices support pollinators and growers strive for a more natural balance in insect management. Tree trellises and other sustainable methods minimize spraying, increase disease resistance, and maximize fruit production and flavor. Growing protocols and certification are managed by the IPM Institute of North America.

Other fruit is certified organic by Vermont Organic Farmers.

A win for staff and the local economy

Champlain Orchards’ business model is a win for the local economy as well. The farm employs 30 full-time Vermont-based staff and many more skilled, seasonal employees from Jamaica.

The orchard offers onsite housing to some employees and works closely with the State of Vermont to ensure that full-time and seasonal living quarters are safe and comfortable.

A path to farm affordabilty in Vermont

The conservation of Champlain Orchards was one of the first times we used land conservation to make a farm more affordable to a new farmer. Since then, over 100 farmers have worked with us to buy their first farms.

Meeting the challenge of affordable farmland in Vermont

In the late 1990s, Bill Suhr learned that conserving land could help him achieve a long-held dream. “I wasn’t aware I could become a farmer, but I loved land,” he said.

Unable to afford farmland, Bill assumed he would eventually become a caretaker for a large property. But, by working with the Vermont Land Trust, he was able to buy a longstanding orchard, because the sale of a conservation easement cut the cost of the land in half.

“It was a huge financial advantage for a 27-year-old,” said Bill. “It’s a story in itself; the land trust taking a risk on a young aspiring grower with passion and perseverance but no farming experience.”

(photo: Bill in the early days of the orchard)

Slow and steady: A farm success story

Bill initially peddled his fruit from his station wagon, traveling to farmer’s markets and food co-ops that could purchase the low volume he was able to produce. He developed strong relationships with local buyers that cared about his eco-oriented approach.

Eventually, he was successful enough to buy and conserve more land and grow more fruit. Today, Champlain Orchards operates on 350 acres, and employs more than 30 full-time local staff and 50 seasonal staff from Jamaica.

Getting the next generation of Vermont farmers on the land

Our work with Bill and other up-and-coming farmers in the ‘90s led us to focus on farm affordability and ways we could help the next generation of farmers get a start.

“If land is too expensive and the development pressure is too significant, there’s a lot less enthusiasm to grow a crop that’s only picked once a year,” said Bill. “You’re only one sale away from losing that orchard forever.”

Over the past two decades, we’ve used conservation to help more than 120 farmers buy their first farm.

all photos by Caleb Kenna, except older photo

Visit Champlain Orchards

Parking

Enjoy a Vermont pick-your-own experience all summer and fall with a wide variety of fruits and berries. Visit the farmstore for fruit, preserves, sweet, hard, and ice ciders, and delicious baked goods. Some good are available at the farm’s online shop.

Pick-your-own fruits available from June-November. Check the Champlain Orchards website for what’s in season. The farmstore is open year-round.

Farm Website