Life is sweet for Norah Lake. For the past 13 years, owning and operating Sweetland Farm in Norwich, Vermont, has been a passion and a source of lifelong pride. 

“I’m proud to be the head farmer, and to help break the mold of what a ‘typical’ farmer looks like. The ponytail in our farm’s logo is my subtle nod to one thing that sets me apart as a farmer,” says Norah, who lives on the 200-acre farm with her husband Chris Polashenski and their young daughter Fern. In 2012, Norah purchased the farm from the Vermont Land Trust.

Norah is a hands-on farm owner, with her finger on the pulse of every part of the farm that produces 15 acres of sustainably grown vegetables; three acres of eco-certified tree fruits; 10,000-plus bales of feed hay; and pasture-raised pork, chicken, and turkey. 

“I’m still honing my skills. Farming is a lifelong education,” says Norah. “I’m grateful for my dedicated crew, and I relish the days when I can take off my ‘planning’ hat and work alongside them in the field. My toddler daughter loves these days, whether we’re feeding the pigs, pulling weeds, or having a potato digging scavenger hunt.”

Sustainability Is Key

Sweetland is a diversified family farm that offers a community supported agriculture (CSA) program and a bountiful farm stand featuring their own vegetables, fruit, herbs, flowers, and meats. Sustainable practices form the cornerstone of the business. 

“As a diversified farm, we are able to use each micro-landscape of our property for its best use. Our woodland is carefully managed for wildlife habitat, timber, and fuel. Veggies are farmed on flat, well-drained, prime agricultural soil. Animals are pastured on pieces of ground that will benefit from extra nutrients and organic matter. Fruit trees are grown on slopes too steep to cultivate. Hay is baled on fields that have been cleared for a century,” she explains.

Analyzing the farm’s systems and practices through the lens of growing food in a way that’s sustainable for soil, climate, crew, and business, Norah has established a “thinking farm” model where traditional small-scale methods dovetail with cutting-edge ideas and technology. 

“The roof of our 1900s era barn is covered in solar panels. Our woodland provides renewable fuel for our traditional living room woodstove as well as for a state-of-the-art, high-efficiency boiler that heats our greenhouses.” 

In 2018, the farm made a pledge to reduce their fossil carbon emissions by 90 percent within 10 years and has worked diligently to increase efficiency, reduce its energy needs, and transition to renewable fuels.

A Two-Way Relationship

Farmer Norah Lake with daughter Fern.

Throughout, Norah nurtures a relationship with the community. She and her crew make a point to connect with customers over recipes, trading gardening tips, and making the farm a fun, friendly place to visit. CSA members visit weekly to pick up their share of the harvest and spend time in the pick-your-own gardens, while members and drop-ins alike benefit from the carefully selected products in the full-diet farm stand.

“Our goal is to showcase a different assortment of seasonal veggies and fruits each week. This year we’ve upped our game on the number of crops that we grow to allow our CSA members to choose their favorites from a more extensive list of options. We encourage folks to try new things, like fennel, husk cherries, or radicchio, while also enjoying plenty of favorites like sweet corn, tomatoes, and cucumbers,” says Norah. “This is a two-way relationship. Our community relies on us for healthy, sustainable food, and we rely on them for their continued support.”

Connected to the Land

Growing up on a rural homestead in Grafton, Vermont, Norah enjoyed the agrarian life and that connection inspired Sweetland’s name. 

“I wanted to find something that made it personal to myself and to the land. Sweet is my great-grandmother’s maiden name and my middle name, and sweet is also an old agrarian term that refers to soil that is the perfect pH for farming,” says Norah. “My family had a big garden and a handful of farm animals, and growing, cooking, and preserving the harvest was a formative part of my childhood. My parents never really ‘taught’ me how to garden, but they made it fun and rewarding to work together growing and preparing our food.”

Norah credits many mentors who have helped her hone her farming skills over the years. 

“In high school I attended the Putney School, where all students spend at least one semester working in the gardens, barns, and woods. I loved it. I spent nearly every school vacation milking the cows, gathering sap, and gardening. Margie Levine and Pete Stickney, the garden and farm managers, introduced me to many of the tools and skills of farming. It was their gentle encouragement that sparked a pride and enjoyment in working the land,” says Norah, who, back then, viewed farming as a hobby for herself, not a career.

But that connection to the land followed her upon graduation when she worked on a farm during her gap year and then found ‘her people’ at Dartmouth’s Organic Farm during college. 

“Scott Stokoe, the Dartmouth manager, introduced me to the philosophy and principles of the organic agriculture movement and guided my understanding of the connections between environmental studies and agriculture,” says Norah. 

She took an off-campus job at Sunrise Farm in White River Junction during college and just kept finding herself drawn to growing food. Upon graduating from Dartmouth with a degree in Environmental Studies and a middle-school science teaching certificate, Norah knew working indoors away from the land wasn’t a good fit, so she returned to Sunrise Farm as a co-manager and took a deep dive into small-scale agriculture. 

 “Chuck Wooster, the owner, took a chance on a fresh college grad and patiently taught me the nuts and bolts of running a farm. After five years, I felt ready to take the plunge of starting my own farm,” she says.

A Meaningful Way to Make a Difference

Nora’s goal is to provide her community with access to great food and a connection to its producers. Complementing the CSA is Sweetland’s year-round Farm Store stocked with Sweetland vegetables and meat along with other local and/or sustainably grown and small-batch crafted food from around the region. 

“We work closely with small-scale growers, producers, and food hubs to gather the dairy, meat, preserves, prepared food, and pantry staples on our shelves. We love having a relationship with many of the producers and want to pass that connection along to our customers,” says Norah. “I’m happy to bring milk and cheese from my elementary school classmate, lamb from one family friend, maple syrup from another, and other well-made local products together in our farm stand so that customers can shop for their food knowing it’s been carefully and thoughtfully sourced.”

Keeping Sweetland thriving is Norah’s passion. 

“Having our CSA members’ kids get excited to talk to Farmer Norah and see me leading our crew, driving our tractors, and running our business feels like a meaningful way to make a difference in the world,” she says. “I love to work hard then enjoy the fruits of my labor. Sitting down to a meal made entirely from Sweetland ingredients is not only delicious but also reflects the careful choices and hard work that went into growing that food. I’m proud to share that feeling with others in our community.” 

Sweetland Farm

742 Route 132

Norwich, VT

(802) 649-6250
sweetlandfarmvt.com