Maple Grove Farm

Derby, VT

120 farm acres, plus 80 acres of woodland

50 milking cows

Meet cute

Andy and Sarah Birch met officially at the local county fair where both were showing animals. Sarah—a classmate of Andy’s younger brother—was finishing up high school at the time, while Andy was wrapping up his college degree. “He picked on my sister and me,” Sarah says with smile. “I was known for being quiet. He said, ‘Oh, you do talk!’” The Birch brothers had grown up working with their family’s 50-head dairy herd whereas Sarah came to love animals through the local 4-H club.

Sarah and Andy farm with the help of his parents and brother, Jared.

Chores in the 120-year-old barn.

Back to the farm

Andy’s parents had sold their herd when he left for college but kept the land and equipment. “They knew I still had an interest in farming,” Andy says. For nine years, the 120-year-old barn sat quiet while Andy worked at other farms. “But I always hoped I’d be able to come back and have my own farm, be my own boss,” he says. About a year after Sarah and Andy married, they reintroduced a small herd to the old barn. “We saved every penny we could to buy the animals and then we spent a month breathing life back into the barn,” Andy says.

Happy hard work

Farming life has taken some adjusting, Sarah admits: “It’s seven days a week, 365 days a year.” Her husband agrees, “Life hasn’t been the same since, but I love what I do. I like being with my family. I like being with the animals. I like being out in the country.” And, he adds, “I’ve really liked getting to spend more time with Sarah.”