When we look back at the last 50 years of NOFA-VT’s history, it’s incredible to reflect on the early leaders of organic farming in Vermont.
To understand the roots of the organic movement and how it has led us to our present day, it’s critical to talk to the people who have been in the fields and learn how their experience farming has evolved throughout their careers.
We want to share the story of two of these farmers: John and Joy Primmer of Wildstone Farm in Pownal, veteran farmers of over 40 years.
In the early 80s, Joy and John were living in North Adams, Massachusetts. They grew vegetables in an oversized garden and sold the excess at local farmers markets. When they were presented with an opportunity to buy the land in Pownal that now makes up Wildstone Farm, they jumped on it. Joy and John moved to the property with their young son and lived in a canvas tent, continuing to sell their extra produce at the farmers market. Their commitment to growing healthy food without a reliance on synthetic inputs inspired them to get involved with NOFA-VT, and in 1989, they became the first certified organic farm in Bennington County.
Some of Joy and John’s most cherished memories from NOFA-VT’s early days revolve around the comradery and connection they experienced at conferences and events. They said the early Vermont Organic Farmers meetings (before the USDA)offered some of the most valuable opportunities to learn and exchange information, long before the internet existed. John remembers some of the farmers: “...Richard Wiswall, Dave Chapman, Davey Miskell, Paul Harlow, Anne and Jack Lazor, Bruce Kaufman, Laini Fondilier, Will Stevens, Earl Ransom and so many others. And then Enid was there to facilitate—because boy it would go off on all these wild tangents. What an education! Enid managed to keep the whole bunch of us on track.”
When we talked with the Primmers for this story, they shared many happy memories of getting to interact with Enid Wonnacott, NOFA-VT’s Executive Director from 1987-2019. In fact, Enid was their inspector when the farm was first certified! Joy and John didn’t have a phone in the early 90s, so the only way Enid could communicate with them— besides just stopping by—was via the mail. One of their favorite memories is how Enid would send them a postcard to schedule the inspection visits. They saved these postcards and have them to this day.
There’s a lot to be proud of in a farming career that spans 40 years, but for Joy and John one of the most significant accomplishments was purchasing the 10 acre plot adjoining their original farm. This gave them more space to grow, more soil to improve, and connected two pieces of what was historically a much larger farm—a notable achievement in an area with major development pressure.
We were thrilled to hear that there was a NOFA-VT connection to this major milestone for Wildstone Farm. As John tells it, “I was coming back from a run one day before work and our dog Skye saw the "For Sale" sign and started barking at it—I probably would have missed it. We decided right away that Joy was going to go down to the bank to get out money for a deposit. And the second call we made was to Enid.”
Enid gave them advice and a list of lenders to get in touch with, though ultimately they received financing for the property through NOFA-VT’s revolving loan fund, which has since morphed into the Farmer Emergency Fund. Additionally, Richard Wiswall provided technical assistance for their production. “We like to say Richard came with the farm,” John remembers.
Despite many years living an analog lifestyle, Joy and John have been working hard to keep up with the changing world we live in. Like so many, they faced overwhelming disruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Wildstone Farm received one of NOFA-VT’s first round of Resilience Grants in 2020, which were aimed at funding projects that helped farms adapt to changes brought about by the pandemic. Joy and John received funding for a new online ordering system and a printer to print out pick lists for the farmers market and CSA shares, both of which improved their business operations and workflow.
They’ve also worked to move from pen and paper record-keeping to digital records and spreadsheets. They give credit to Jen Miller, NOFA-VT’s Farmer Services Director, for being instrumental in making this necessary change by providing one-on-one technical assistance. As John says about the process, “Jen’s been great. Very helpful, very patient.”
Their work with Jen has also focused on the future of Wildstone Farm. Joy and John—while in no hurry to retire—are getting "a bit long in the tooth" (their words, not ours) after long and fruitful careers, and they are looking at how the next generation could keep building on top of their strong, 40 year-old foundation. The Primmers love their land and feel like it's been good to them, and they’d love to see a young farmer come in to keep it in production. Part of their work with Jen has been planning how they can transition the farm to the right person while still remaining a part of the day-to-day. “I think we can be useful, not just ornamental,” John says.
Looking back on over four decades of farming, John expresses appreciation for having had NOFA-VT to rely on. “When we came to Vermont, NOFA was a really welcoming community to be a part of. It made a big difference in our lives. We’ve been grateful to be a part of it.”