Meet our Crew.
A family affair for four generations
The Farm Crew
Jacob Powsner
COFFEE BEAN COUNTER
Jacob grew up here in Rutland County, 20 miles from Baird Farm. He and Jenna met in high school orchestra. Jacob graduated with a bachelor's degree from Bard College before moving to Oregon with Jenna, in the spring of 2013. They traveled through Oregon and California working on organic farms. In 2015, they returned back to Vermont and began working on the Baird Farm. Jacob is passionate about working with food and the land in a way which promotes the heritage and traditions of Vermont. When not in the sugarbush, Jacob enjoys playing in the garden, cooking grub and making noise - at times it might sound a little like music.
Jenna Baird
PUMPKIN PRACTIONER
Jenna, Bob and Bonnie's daughter, has always held a strong connection to Vermont and the farm she grew up on. Throughout high school and college she worked at Wood's Market Garden, an organic vegetable farm in Brandon, Vermont. After graduating from the University of Vermont, with a degree in social work, she and her partner Jacob traveled across country working on organic farms through the WWOOFing program. In the fall of 2015, they returned back to Vermont and worked for her family during sugaring season. In July 2016, Jenna and Jacob began management of the retail maple business for Baird Farm. Jenna's favorite side hobbies are flower arranging and growing giant pumpkins.
Bob Baird
THE SUGAR SHACK DADDY
Bob has been making maple syrup on the Baird Farm for as long as he can remember. Working alongside his grandmother in the sugarbush and sugarhouse sparked his love for maple at a very early age. Bob and his wife, Bonnie, bought his family farm in 1979 and raised dairy cows for 23 years while expanding the sugaring operation. Bob has an immense dedication to farming and is very involved in the Vermont farming community. He worked for the Vermont Land Trusts for 11 years, served on the board of the VHCB Ag Viability Program and is currently an active board member for Shelburne farms.
Bonnie Baird
RESIDENT ARTIST EXTRAORDINARE
Bonnie grew up on a dairy farm in Pittsford, Vermont so farming has always been in her roots. She came to the Baird Farm when she was just a teenager working at the bed and breakfast Bob's grandmother used to have in the farmhouse. After buying the farm from Bob's father in 1979 Bonnie and Bob worked together farming and maintaining their property. Aside from farming, Bonnie is also a landscape painter. Her work with the land for so many years influences her artwork. Originally starting in watercolors, Bonnie now is a full time oil painter. She shows her work in different galleries across the state of Vermont.
See her paintings at: www.bonniebairdart.com
Wesley Davis
WHISPERER OF TREES
Wesley “MadDogg” Davis has helped on the farm since 2022. Born at a young age, Wesley grew up in nearby Belmont, Vermont nurtured by the local trees and hills. He notably spent a large portion of his adolescence in the pine forests of northern Russia. When not on the farm, Wesley is listening to trees and moonlighting for the CIA. Favorite maple pairing: drizzled-over Pizza.
Brit Davis
COMMANDER OF VACUUM
Hailing from Clarendon, Vermont, Brit "The Kick" Davis has crushed farm tasks here since 2022. Brit keeps the woods crew's head screwed on tight. Vacuum problem? Brit's on it. Squirrel problem? Brits on it? Problem with your extended family? Not Brit's problem. When not doing all things maple, Brit's on the road laying down the rhythm for the loudest bands in Vermont. Favorite maple pairing: dowsing a bowl of sour patch kids with a long pour of dark robust.
Mavis
HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER
(aka The Starfish)
Mavis (aka the Sugar Dog) has been with us since March 2017. She has been a wonderful addition to our family, although we are still working on getting Peppermill and Mavis to hang out together. (It's a work in progress) Mavis loves sitting in her spot on the porch waiting to say hello to anyone that comes in the yard. Favorite maple pairing: maple covered dog treats.
Peppermill
ART DIRECTOR
(aka The Clown Shrimp)
Peppermill our farm cat has been with us for over 13 years putting smiles on our face every day. He loves to greet everyone who comes to the farm but especially loves all of the attention he gets from our many syrup customers. One of the friendliest cats around! We often call him a "Cog" half cat, half dog. Favorite maple pairing: warm maple milk
Faces of the Farm
We're always up to something on the farm!
Whether it is sugaring season or not we all stay busy on the farm here in North Chittenden. In the month of January we begin tapping our 14,000 maple trees and finish, ideally, in time before the first sap run (typically in late February). March and April is all hands on deck - "Go Time!" - making our handcrafted maple syrup to share with you all. Late April and May, the sugaring season is over, but there is still a lot to do! We pull all 14,000 taps from our maple trees and are scrubbing and cleaning after a sticky season. Throughout the summer we dive deep into farm projects - whether it is building maintence or work in the woods installing more taps or keeping our 100+ mile tubing system up to date. Tourists visit our farm year round but particularly mid summer through fall. We enjoy hosting tours of our farm and sharing it with others especially when the maple trees are glowing in the fall foliage. After foliage season is over, foot traffic dies down on the farm but we gear up for our mail order business. You'll see us in the store packing boxes of maple syrup to ship all over the country for the holidays.
Visit us year-round to see what we are up to!
