Welcome to the Farm!

Sweet Rowen Farmstead is a grass-based hill farm in Northern Vermont. Our small herd of pasture-raised Vermont Heritage Lineback cows produces delicious milk, which we bottle and craft into yogurt, cheese, and dip in our wood-fired creamery. Our cows are family, each with their own name and personality. They get fresh pasture daily, along with hay that we grow and cut ourselves, preserving that rich summer energy for the winter months.

Organic CERTIFICATION

We are in the process of transitioning our farm to certified organic! This multiyear process began in 2024 that includes transitioning our land and herd to meet organic regulations. We have always operated our farm with regenerative and sustainable practices, and we’re grateful that our customers have supported and trusted us along the way, but it's time to make it official and we’re excited to be moving forward with certification.

THE COWS

Sweet Rowen Farmstead milks a heritage landrace breed called Vermont Heritage Linebacks. Many of our cows can be traced to Randall Linebacks; however, the majority of our herd is a regional ecotype from the Northeast Kingdom.

Linebacks were allowed to evolve naturally on Vermont pasture, making them uniquely suited to our native climate. Lineback cows tend to have a unique white splash running the length of their backs, as well as white splotching on the face.

Rotational GRAZING

We follow a holistic approach to grazing management. Our herd is moved to a new pasture every 12 hours from May–September. We read what they ate the day before and where the grass is in its growth cycle. Each paddock gets nearly 40 days to rest and rebuild before the cows come back through.

BARN & MILKING Facility

During the snowy Vermont winters when our cows are unable to graze, they spend their days in the barn where a well lit sand-bedded free stall allows them to achieve full physiological expression.

Passionate about the Land

At Sweet Rowen Farmstead we believe the quality of our milk, yogurt, and cheese starts with the health of the land.

CONSERVATION PRACTICES

Forage & Feed

In addition to rotational grazing, we manage soil fertility by:

Amending the soil with manure from our farm and wood ash from a local wood-fired power plant in Burlington, VT.
Frost-seeding legumes to increase nitrogen content and improve forage quality.
Avoiding tillage practices in our cropping to maximize carbon banking and avoid releasing carbon into the atmosphere.
Haying our fields so we can provide carefully managed feed to our cows during the grazing off-season.

For our cows to remain healthy and produce balanced, nutrient-dense milk, we supplement their forage with grain at milking time. Each cow gets 6–8 pounds of a non-GMO grain pellet blend, mixed locally by Morrison's Custom Feeds. This grain is singly sourced from farmers in Quebec within a 200-mile radius of the farm.