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ES 401A Spring 2002

Why Buy Local?

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Stonewood Farm

Located in: Orwell, Vermont

Supplies Middlebury College with: Vermont Fresh Turkey

A John Deere tractor at Stonewood Farm

Peter and Frances Stone moved to Vermont because they wanted to farm. They began raising turkeys in 1987. The Stones have four children, three of which are full-time employees of the farm and call it their home.

The Stones grow their turkeys naturally. The turkeys are allowed to range during the day and are housed at night for protection. The turkeys are not fed antibiotics or growth hormones, and are prepared without preservatives or artificial ingredients.

The Stonewood Farm "Turkey Headquarters" occupies 600 acres of the Champlain Valley in Orwell, VT. The Stones raise 20,000 free range turkeys, making Stonewood Farm the largest turkey producer in Vermont. The slaughtering, processing, and packaging all occur right on the farm.

While many of the frozen turkey products go out of state to markets in Massachusetts and Connecticut, half of Stonewood Farm's business comes from their Thanksgiving Fresh Turkey. Forty percent of the Thanksgiving sales are to folks in Vermont! Middlebury College buys only a small portion of the Stonewood's poultry for special dinners.

In 1994, the Stones sold the development rights of their farm to the Vermont Land Trust, because they believed in preserving the land.

"Just plenty of fresh Vermont air, cool nights, green pastures, good feed and tender loving care on our family farm."