Liberty Hill Farm

511 Liberty Hill, Rochester, VT
www.libertyhillfarm.com
Artist: Hannah Sessions 

Products: Dairy milk, agrotourism

Where to buy: Wholesale 

Inviting connection to food at its source

Climate farmers understand the importance of their farming practices. But eaters don’t always know the importance of their purchases. Each time we buy a product from a local, climate-friendly farm, we are investing in the health of our ecosystem. We are supporting local growers who are committed to food security. And we are getting nutritious food grown in healthy soils.

Sometimes all it takes is a committed farmer to help explain this. Beth and Bob Kennett of Liberty Hill Farm have been doing on-farm education for years. They involve multiple generations of their own family and guest families. “Agritourism [agriculture tourism] is not about the bed or the pancakes, it’s about the opportunity to interact and communicate with people,” Beth reflected. “Because then you have the opportunity to answer all of people’s questions.”

Beth helps her guests understand the care and commitment farmers have to their work. She wants people to understand what it takes to sustainably steward the land, humanely raise animals, and run a small-scale, climate-friendly farm. She said, “When I present dinner at the table at night, I tell everyone where the food is from. Some people have never had a meal where they knew exactly where the food came from, who grew it, and how they grew it.” Her daughter-in-law Asia gives tours of the farm and explains in detail the various farming practices for guests to see and experience.

Many visitors have told Beth they changed their buying habits after visiting the farm.

“For me, the true role of agritourism is providing people the opportunity to understand agriculture at a much deeper level so that they can change their perspective and ultimately change their behavior at the grocery store.”