Stony Pond Farm

Fairfield, VT

Stony Pond Farm, a family-owned, certified organic farm, specializes in supreme quality fluid milk, farmstead cheese, and naturally raised 100% grass-fed and grass-finished beef. Tyler & Melanie Webb steward the farm with a mission to live freely as part of an entity dedicated to sharing food that is healthy for the environment, mind, body, and soul. They believe in the unity of all aspects of farming, aiming to cultivate a harmonious relationship between happy, fulfilled, and prosperous farmers and blissful, contented cows, resulting in food unmatched in quality for consumers.

An apprenticeship at Stony Pond Farm provides an overview of the entire operation, from working with the cows and setting up paddocks and water lines to spending time making cheese and flipping wheels in the cave. The majority of the work is focused in the creamery, where apprentices work alongside Melanie, assisting in the production of the farm's small-scale, organic cheese line. Throughout the internship, apprentices also have opportunities to engage with the local farming community through visits with neighboring cheesemakers and farmers.

Stony Pond Farm maintains a wonderful herd of hardy Jersey, Devon, Ayrshire, British White, and cross cattle, rotationally grazed on nutrient-rich, certified organic pasture. Their milk, which has repeatedly earned superior quality awards, contributes to the award-winning array of Organic Valley products available nationwide.

The farm began making cheese in the summer of 2019 and currently sells an aged, raw-milk cheese called Swallow Tail Tomme. Named after the tree and barn swallows that grace the farm during the summer months, Swallow Tail Tomme offers consumers a delicious taste of the farm.

The exceptional curiosity, docile nature, and adorable faces of the Jersey cow attracted Tyler and Melanie to the breed. Tyler traveled all over New England, encouraging friends and farmers to part with one or two of their cows to help start the dairy herd. These cows, with their fantastic grazing skills, won their hearts and taught them invaluable lessons about the earth, farming, and their relationship with food.

At Stony Pond Farm, the cows spend their days peacefully eating what nature designed them to eat, with ample room to roam, exercise, play, and relax. They receive a proper diet of cultivated grasses and native browse, never supplemented with antibiotics, feedstuffs, or growth hormones routinely used in crowded, stressful conditions. These cows now contribute to the farm's excellent beef and delicious cheese, sold at Saxelby Cheesemongers.