ABOUT
LEAPING BEAR FARM
Little farm, big mission
You want food with integrity, and a beneficial footprint- food that enhances the environment. You're looking for food you can feel good about!
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Responsible, regenerative agriculture is the back bone of LBF. This translates directly in how we manage the land to produce our products for you. Our intention is to leave the land better than we found it and create a healthful, high quality product you can confidently feed your family.
OUR STORY
We want to take a minute to introduce ourselves as the farmers behind Leaping Bear. Our names are Justin and Vanessa and we're first generation farmers with a passion for healing our environment. Justin has a background in permaculture design and education, and Vanessa is a graphic designer and marketer. We get to use our past experiences daily to grow our farm, and to help refine our customers understanding of regenerative agriculture, organic growing practices and how they can positively contribute to healing our food systems.
We pride ourselves with providing high quality, fresh and healthy food from the land in a way that benefits the environment. We deeply value our community, which makes our work rewarding, but we know food producers are facing some serious challenges (because of ongoing climate change) and we want the way we farm to address those issues head on. How our food is farmed can either add to the destruction of our planet or it can do the opposite- creating abundance and resiliency across our communities.
We saw the need for more regenerative, small-scale and diverse farms as a call to action, inspiring us to make the leap from the Western US to Vermont. We were blessed with an initial opportunity through a collaboration with Sun Hill Farm to turn our dreams into a reality, and begin Leaping Bear Farm. After 4 years we outgrew this first property and were fortunate to able lease land at High Meadows Farm, the oldest organic farm in Vermont. In the 3 years we farmed at High Meadows, we enjoyed enormous support from our local food community and customers, which allowed us to buy our own farm in Reading, Vermont in late 2025.
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We now farm high up, in what is know as the "Alps of Vermont". Our farm has grown so much since our beginnings in 2019, and now we manage a small flock of Icelandic sheep, about 2,000 laying hens, 4,000 broiler chickens, as well as growing microgreens, and producing home made bone broth for our local community.
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We are committed to regenerative farming practices, moving our chickens to fresh pasture every damn day to ensure they live in a clean, natural environment. This results in positive impacts not only on the pastures we manage but the health and well-being of our customers.
Our farm serves families and households just like yours - people who are ready to make the LEAP to wholesome, nourishing food ethically grown to support the health of our community and the environment. We are focused on making a positive impact on our land, in our management of animals, and in your health and diet.
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CERTIFIED ORGANIC
& PASTURE RAISED
IN VERMONT
Our chickens are certified Real Organic and are pasture raised. Our main source of feed is from Green Mountain Feeds, a locally owned family business located in Bethel, Vermont.
When our birds are out on the pasture during the growing season, they get moved to fresh grass daily. This keeps the birds healthy, providing a constant source of greens and insects to add to their diet and allows them to leave behind a tremendous amount of nutrients building rich, resilient soils that more effectively capture and store carbon in the ground.
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A healthy environment supports healthier people and animals, resulting in better meat and a nutritious and sustainable diet you can feel good about.