Bread and Butter Farm
Bread & Butter Farm is a working regenerative farm in South Burlington and Shelburne, Vermont, where Farmer D & Co. helped develop a farm conservation community vision for approximately 600 acres of contiguous owned and leased land.
The project was created in response to a major conservation and land-use opportunity: how to protect a large working landscape from conventional development while supporting farm expansion, community access, mixed-income housing, ecological stewardship, and long-term agricultural viability.
The Work
Farmer D & Co. developed a farm conservation community vision and master planning framework for Bread & Butter Farm and its partners.
The work included site context analysis, land visioning, conservation planning, trail connectivity, village and hamlet cluster development strategies, farm hub planning, and conceptual design for a farm-based mixed-income housing model.
The plan explored how a farm village could support residential, commercial, community, and agricultural uses while preserving the majority of the land for conservation, production agriculture, agroforestry, habitat, and public access.
Impact
Bread & Butter Farm demonstrates how working farms can become anchors for conservation-based community development.
The project offers a model for protecting rural character while creating new opportunities for regenerative agriculture, farmer livelihoods, mixed-income housing, community education, and land-based enterprise.
“Farmer D & Co. was great to work with, coordinating with our partners and translating the vision for Bread & Butter Farm into a farm conservation community master plan that balances working agriculture, public-facing retail, and housing to meet the needs of our farmers and community, while keeping land stewardship at the center.”
— Brandon Bless, Bread & Butter Farm