Meet the Farmer, Woodworker, & Co.

Alisha Utter

(Sweetbranch Syrups LLC), farmer and syrup maker

Alisha grew up in New York's Hudson Valley. After earning a B.A. in Environmental Policy and Marine Science from the University of California, San Diego, she participated in the University of Vermont's Farmer Training Program in 2014. Along the way, she fell in love with Vermont. She is grateful to the farming community, especially mentor farmers Pam and Ray Allen (Allenholm Farm) and Nancy and John Hayden (The Farm Between - where the black currants pictured here were harvested).

Alisha is presently working on her PhD in Plant and Soil Science at the University of Vermont. Her research includes produce safety in New England and veganic farming in the United States. She was recognized as the 2017-2018 James Beard Foundation scholar for the northeastern US. She presently serves as a board member for the Vermont Vegetable and Berry Growers Association, leadership member with the Vermont Young Farmers Coalition, and secretary of the Champlain Islands Farmers' Market.

Kyle Bowley (K. Bowley Woodcraft LLC), woodworker

Kyle grew up in Essex Junction, Vermont. He earned his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Vermont. He had an interest in flying his entire life and joined the Vermont Army National Guard where he pilots the LUH-72 Lakota Helicopter. Kyle is a self-taught woodworker and attributes his love of the craft to his late grandfather. He specializes in fine woodworking, however is also keen to farm projects, such as chicken coops and cedar raised beds.

And now who is really running the farm...

Fay

Fay's interests include playing fetch, running wild, playing fetch, eating watermelon, and playing fetch.

London

City cat turned country enjoys tormenting mice, voles, and birds followed by a minimum of 23 hours of rest.

The Flock

We welcome hens from farms where they may no longer live. They happily live out their lives at Arbor Farmstead with endless supplies of fruit scraps from Sweetbranch Syrups and wood shavings from K. Bowley Woodcraft.