(The Bur-Ger Farm)
Farm-Fresh and pasture-raised meats
Gerald and Sarah Hathaway own The Bur-Ger Farm in Benson, VT, which originally belonged to Gerald’s parents, Burton and Gertrude, and was known as Hathaway Farm. The farm-raised milking cows for many years, and about nine years ago, the family switched to raising beef. “We sold our milking herd, and we began doing beef. At that time, organic milking was getting flooded, so the market wasn't as good, so it was a really good time for us to get out of dairy. So that's how we began raising the livestock versus the milking herd,” said Sarah Hathaway, co-owner of The Bur-Ger Farm.
Once Gerald and Sarah began selling their beef, they renamed the business The Bur-Ger Farm, which uses the first three letters of Burton and Gertrude’s names. Sarah recalled that she started selling at “one tiny farmers market” and the business took off from there. “I've been doing the Rutland Farmers Market now every Saturday for eight years—going on my ninth year this summer. And they've been wonderful—they're like family and friends, and it's been great. I also do a slew of other weekday markets. I select some every year that I go to during the week. And so those are nice markets as well. They're just not quite as big and busy because it's a weekday versus a weekend.”
Today The Bur-Ger Farm sells premium grass-fed beef, lamb, and pasture-raised pork in the New England area. Local customers can also buy their whole chickens at some of the farmer's markets in Vermont.
The Hathaways put a lot of care into their animals and land, striving to preserve rare and heritage breed plants and animals to ensure genetic diversity. The livestock always has access to the outdoors and the freedom to graze. The family also avoids using antibiotics unless necessary for an animal’s health.
Hathaway shared that Gerald oversees the farm’s beef herd and does all the field work while she handles other business operations. “I take care of all the sheep and all the meat birds and all the chicken layers, and I take care of the farm’s record keeping. I go to all the farmer's markets in the summer months during the weekday and then year-round every Saturday,” she said.
Everyone in the Hathaway family pitches in to keep the farm running smoothly, and they all have related businesses. Their oldest son runs a meat processing facility a quarter mile down the road from The Bur-Ger Farm, which is where the farm’s meats are processed. Another son raises pigs for a well-known natural and organic supermarket chain, and their daughter-in-law started a greenhouse and sells vegetables and flowers. “So when stuff needs to be done we all pull together. It's really nice, and everybody helps each other. It's been a great life and it's really neat how we're a very cultivated family right here.”
The local culture in Vermont has the attributes of a close-knit family. Neighbors rally around each other and support small businesses. Hathaway said the community came through for The Bur-Ger Farm during the pandemic. “Especially through COVID is where I really saw that people were still willing to get out there, put their mask on and come support us. They really like our product. They like us as people. They like what we do and what we stand for. And even our local vendors, we all try to buy from each other, and everybody gives everybody a chance. And if you buy from one food vendor this week, next week you might do a different one just so you hit everybody up.”
Tourists also appreciate Vermont’s farmer's markets. “People who come here on vacation or visiting from other states—they just love Vermont’s culture. I feel like people today are realizing what they're getting in the grocery store versus what they can get at from local growers here at a farmer's market. It's just a nicer product because they know where it came from. It was grown in the seller’s backyard in one form or another. Visitors also like the atmosphere of walking through a farmer's market. You've got all these friendly faces who worked really hard to do what they're doing and get all their product there. You've got a little music playing, and it's just a really nice atmosphere to go along with the awesome products,” Hathaway said.
For more information about The Bur-Ger Farm, check out their BBB Business Profile. To learn more about BBB and read more stories like this, visit Behind the Business Stories with BBB in Eastern MA, ME, RI & VT.
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