Another year in the books...welcome to our annual recap!
We've had a great year on the farm, with a ton of new developments, partnerships, and animals. And as we turn the page to 2026, we thought there was no better time to look back at the year that was! |
|
| Our big development this past winter was the introduction of our new flavored Moosalamoo cheeses in February of this year. Here is Greg with a full cart of Dill Moosalamoo just out of the presses. We also ventured into Caraway and Pepper Jack Moosalamoo. Turns out Moosalamoo plays well with others, and the flavored cheeses have done very well for us. |
|
|
| One constant of life at Blue Ledge is that we're always welcoming new animals to the farm! Usually it's goats, but this year, we had some feline additions as well! Our new gaggle of barn cats, Titi, Charlie, Tuxey, and Eckhardt, are growing well and fill the barn with love and activity. |
|
| However, you can't be a goat cheese farm without goats and this March, we survived and thrived through our annual kidding season. We freshened 45 milkers, continuing to milk 60 goats through the winter. We also were excited also to freshen 40 yearlings. It’s always a cute and busy time of year, requiring vigilance and enjoying the company of lots of volunteers. |
|
|
| As things started to warm up, we hit the road to attend some of our favorite trade shows and festivals. Here's Greg and Hannah at the Provisions Trade Show! Quite a spread when we get all of our cheeses together on one table!
We brought in some family (and friends!) for the Annual Cheese Festival at Shelburne Farms this year. Mark your calendars for 2026 as the new venue (the Breeding Barn) is spectacular!
|
|
|
| In June, our long-time cow's milk partner retired, but we were very fortunate to be able to establish a new relationship with Deb and Andy Hogan. Deb and Andy milk 18 Normandie cows right down the road from our farm! We have loved working with their high quality grass-fed Normadie milk for all of our cow and mixed milk cheeses. |
|
|
| The biggest development of the summer— and likely the year— was the purchase of our new Thermoformer Vacuum Packaging machine, which arrived in August. This machine has revolutionized how we package our cheese, and increased the shelf life of our fresh chevre. |
|
|
| While it's been a huge benefit to the business, it wasn't without its challenges, not least fitting it down the ramp of our cave and into our small packaging room! By September we had the machine up and running and we continue to tweak our product packaging as we learn more about the machine. We are thrilled to be using 75% less plastic in our packaging. |
|
It wasn't all work, however. In a raucous July 4 tradition in nearby Bristol, VT we placed second (again) in the notorious “Outhouse race”, where teams race down main street with a teammate on the proverbial “can”. It’s always a great event and our son Hayden and friends are excited to improve on their placing next year!
 |
|
|
| In October, we were given a big vote of confidence when our Honey Chevre with Orange took Best of Show at the American Dairy Goat National Cheese Competition! While we were unable to make it, our cow farmer Deb was on hand to receive the award on our behalf! |
|
|
| With the fall ending recently (only 10 days ago, if you go by the Astronomical definition!) we turn towards 2026! We head into winter with a lack of second cutting hay (due to this summer’s drought), and a lot of unknowns, but with a ton of gratitude. On the subject of gratitude, it would be impossible to end this email without thanking our team (seen below, with Deb and Andy on the left). Running a farm and a processing plant is a huge lift! They do great work here and are essential to our operation. |
 |
|
| And of course, we are so grateful for all of you! We love what we do here at Blue Ledge Farm, and none of it would be possible without your support of our farm. We hope you've enjoyed our cheese as much as we've enjoyed making it. |
|
 |
All the best to you, thank you for your support of our farm in 2025!
|
|
|
|
