The Carrot at the End of the Stick: What drives Wild Carrot Farm
Perched above a historic valley carved by the persistent flow of the West River in Brattleboro, Vermont, sits a tranquil farm that defies time. Once better known for the favorable “fair winds” that allow an array of vegetables and hay crops to thrive, the farm is now better known under a new name, aptly titled from another characteristic of the land.
The name Wild Carrot Farm came to be on an August night when farmers Caitlin Burlett and Jesse Kayan took in the moonlit landscape of the rolling hay fields. Glowing under the reflected light, clusters of Queen Anne’s lace shone bright with their white flowers aimed at the night sky.
Also known as wild carrot, this biennial medicinal herb grips the earth with a tenacious taproot and is the direct ancestor of the carrots we know today.
“There’s a ton of it here,” Kayan sat down with me to discuss his family's journey in farming this land. Reflecting on the origins of the name, “We liked the idea of growing a lot of carrots and made the link between the ancestral plant and the domesticated root.”
The tradition of honoring those who came before is not a new concept here at Wild Carrot Farm.
From the greenhouse, a faint tune could be heard dancing between the winds. A violin carried cheer across the way, slipping through the slats of the weathered barn—a tune played by Jay Bailey, who, along with his wife Janet, farmed the land for over 40 years before welcoming Kayan and Burlett onto it. Although they have retired from farming, their home remains nestled among gardens and greenhouses.
To preserve the land in agriculture, The Baileys entered a lease agreement with the Earth Bridge Community Land Trust for the land on which Fair Winds Farm operated. After advertising for Requests for Proposals (RFP’s) to local farmers, they met Burlett and Kayan, who now sublease the land from the Baileys.
‘Passing the reins,’ in this sense, could not have been more literal. From the Baileys’ decades of experience to the fresh drive of Kayan and Burlett, one shared thread wove them together through the transition.
A time honored tradition
At the center of the operation, adorning the walls of burgundy barn boards, hangs a clue to the practice that makes Wild Carrot Farm so special: horse power.
In sharing their land, the Baileys also shared their knowledge, equipment and gentle touch in working the land with animals.
“We raise all our vegetables with horse power,” said Kayan. “Horses are prepping the soil, we’re using animal-based composts to fertilize the soil, and we have horses cultivating the carrots once a week or so for the life of the crop.”
To combat weeds, Kayan has developed a close relationship with his team of horses, bringing cultivator knives to within three-quarters of an inch of the plants—a level of precision that is only matched by the joy of working closely with animals.
“They’re much more enjoyable to work with,” reflects Kayan. “It gives us a level of connection to the land that we miss when you use a tractor and you’re sort of sitting up high on a big machine that’s loud and smelly and requires, by its design, off-farm inputs.”
‘Carrots for my horses’
Admiring the farm’s three Suffolk Punch draft horses, it’s clear that they are well-loved.
“That’s Phoebe, Polly, and Trixie in the middle,” points out Kayan, looking over the majestic 1,600-pound mares. Bred for work, the horses pull varying equipment based on the needs of the season, from plows and cultivators to hay wagons and sleighs.
The horses are happy at work, but Kayan points out that they encourage folks “to grab a couple carrots and tip their horses.”
With approximately 10,000 bed feet devoted to carrots, Wild Carrot Farm grows four varieties of the root vegetable in addition to 240 varieties of other vegetables.
“Carrots are great here because they are one of the few crops we can have every week of the year,” notes Kayan. Because of their strong storage capacity, they help support the farm in the off-season.
“Our store is almost as busy in the winter as it is in the summer, but we can only produce a handful of things to grow this time of year.” When kept in a cool, dark, climate-controlled environment, carrots will keep well, providing the community with local produce well after the growing season has tapered.
“We pick carrots every week from June through the beginning of November,” says Kayan. “They’re super well-adapted, and we hardly ever irrigate them.” Much like their ancestral cousins, carrots thrive in the favorable conditions of Vermont's climate, making them a sustainable choice for farmers and communities alike.
“They’re an easy crop,” Kayan remarks. “If you can say any crop is easy.” He goes on to share, “And it’s something that kids like.”
Open for more than just business
What truly sets Wild Carrot Farm apart is its warm embrace of the community.
Built around a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) model, much of their business is through weekly pickups, in which shareholders come by to collect fresh, seasonal produce. Kayan reminisces how many “people come for the food, and they end up staying for like an hour and a half.”
“People have been coming here for 12 or more years, and they know us and they know the land, and we have a relationship.” His smile radiates warmth as he reflects with gratitude. “It’s good for them, but it’s also good for us.”
Field trips to remember
And some of the most tangible joy can be heard in the laughter and wonderment of the children who grace Wild Carrot Farm.
“The entirety of Winston Prouty came here—these little preschoolers out in cold November pulling up carrots half their size—they were thrilled by that.”
Much like adults, kids come for the horses, maybe for a carrot or two, but they stay for the playground.
“We put a playground in so our kids could stay busy while we were working. Very quickly, we realized that it’s one of the more important aspects of the farm.” Located just outside the seedling greenhouse, the structure soon graduated from a practical installation into a core tenet grounded in their philosophy on farming.
“From the beginning, it has been about connecting people with their food and where it comes from, and giving them a stake in it. And there’s a joy in that,” shares Kayan.
Passing by Wild Carrot Farm on Fairly Wild Way (formerly Upper Dummerston Road) is hard to do without wanting to stop. The idyllic setting is an invitation in itself. But what keeps people coming back year after year—and conversing well into dusk—is not just the horses, or even the carrots.
It’s the farm’s unwavering dedication to something greater than any one individual: the health and well-being of all living beings, both on the farm and beyond.
“People gravitate to farms; they gravitate to playgrounds; they gravitate to animals. Being able to insert vegetables into that equation is a good thing for everybody.”
Written by Devan Monette
To experience the joy of Wild Carrot Farm firsthand, schedule a sleigh ride, sign up for a CSA, or visit the farmstand—open 7 days a week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.—stocked with local treasures like eggs, vegetables, flowers, chicken, pork, beef, fish, honey, jam, maple syrup, cookies, chocolates, caramels, cheese, bread, gelato, croissants, and coffee.