09/20/2026
There’s local food. And then there’s knowing the hands — and the heart — behind it.
Vibrant Roots Farm is my sister's dream.
By day, she works in agricultural conservation and farmland preservation. By night — and every spare hour in between — she’s a farmer.
Last night, I traded my baker hat for my photographer hat and walked the pastures with her and her husband.
I went there to take photos. I came home thinking about land.
This was a family farm, where roughly 75 dairy cattle roamed. Today, beef cattle and other livestock graze the same ground, as my sister and her husband continue evolving this piece of family farmland. She showed me what they’ve done, what comes next, and the decisions behind it all — healthier pastures, future plans, and wildlife flourishing because of intentional stewardship.
At one point, we were talking about a particularly miserable cow. 😅
“Why do you keep her?”
“She’s a good mom and she raises her babies well, so she stays in the herd.”
I haven't stopped thinking about that.
You pay attention. You understand what each animal contributes. You make decisions based on what strengthens the herd and the land over time.
Growth here isn’t measured only by how much the farm produces. It’s measured by what the farm becomes.
And it reminded me why choosing local matters — but also why WHO you choose locally matters.
When you buy from a local farmer, miller, baker, or maker, you’re not simply buying their product.
You’re investing in their values, beliefs, and practices.
You’re supporting the decisions they make when no customers are watching — how they care for their land and animals, how they source their ingredients, and what they’re working to build.
“Local” tells you where something came from.
Knowing your farmer tells you so much more.
I’m incredibly proud that every Saturday, bread from my little bakery sits inside the farm store she built.
Some partnerships are business.
This one is family, shared values, and two sisters trying, in our own ways, to shorten the distance between the land and the people we get to feed. 🤎
