About Us:

We are farmers, Kerry Gawalt,  Stephen Leslie and 6 year old Maeve. We have been farming together for 22 years.  Our market garden is a 4 acre mix of vegetables, flowers, fruit trees and cover crops.  Our draft horses and jersey cows work and graze on the hill pastures and bottomland. With our farm crew we milk cows, make hay, grow vegetables, raise beef and young heifer cows. The land is part of Cobb Hill Co-Housing, a 23 home community focusing on sustainability. The farm is in a  permanent conservation program with the UV Land trust and the VT Housing & Conservation Board.

Our methods emphasize the building up of healthy soils as the basis of sustainable agriculture. Composted manures from our horses and dairy cows along with cover crops feed the land. We do not use chemical pesticides and fertilizers. Our Fjord horses provide the horse-power for the market garden, hay making and are involved with woodlot management.

Our 4 fjord horses Cassima, Tristan, Isolde and Elsa  work in all aspects of the garden plowing, spreading manure, mowing , discing, cultivating and hay making.  We feel strongly that the draft horse can provide a cost effective and non-polluting alternative to tractor-powered modes of food production. The Fjords are small draft horses from the steep mountain region of Norway.  Sure-footed and hardy, the Fjord is an excellent work and riding animal.  First bred by the Vikings, the Fjord shares roots with the Asiatic Wild horse.  The breed is dun colored, ranging from brown to gray to the rare white and yellow phase.  They stand between 13 hh and 15 hh and weigh 900-1100 lb. 

Our Jerseys graze the pastures and produce milk for Cobb Hill Cheese and Frozen Yogurt and Dairy Farmers of America. Their manure is turned into compost to feed the soil. We have registered breeding stock for sale. The smallest of the dairy breeds, these fawn colored cows make the richest milk.  Jerseys come from the Channel Isles. They thrive on Vermont’s green pastures, mixed grains, and grass hay . They average 16,000-19,000 lbs of milk each annually.