If one image could capture the word “pastoral,” it would be Sunset Lake Farm in South Burlington, Vermont. Owned by Tom Bellavance—whose father and grandfather were dairy farmers—the farm cares for roughly 1,000 cows across 1,700 acres spread over three sites in the Lake Champlain Basin. Some fields sit just a short distance from Lake Champlain, so protecting water quality is a priority for the operation.
“Water quality is very important to us, because the drinking water for my kids and grandchildren comes out of Lake Champlain,” Bellavance explains. His farm philosophy rests on four equal pillars: animal welfare, employee welfare, product safety and quality, and stewardship of land and water. “If all four are taken care of, that will take care of the farm. I am a firm believer that good environmental practices equal good economic practices,” he says.
Supporting these principles is a partnership with Ben & Jerry’s. Sunset Lake Farm follows the company’s Milk with Dignity standard, a farmworker-led human-rights initiative that promotes healthy working conditions on dairy farms in the Northeastern United States. The program conducts annual audits and interviews with employees to ensure safe, respectful workplaces. “Milk with Dignity really helps with the communication between employee and employers and employee to employee,” Bellavance says, noting that the initiative has improved employee retention.
Sunset also participates in Ben & Jerry’s Caring Dairy program, which emphasizes environmental stewardship and regenerative practices aimed at improving soil health, water quality, and biodiversity. Farm staff routinely monitor soil nutrients and work with researchers from Cornell University to track improvements. They also measure water runoff to reduce impacts on Lake Champlain. In addition, the farm has set aside 10 percent of its total acreage as designated biodiversity areas, including wildlife corridors.
These changes benefit both the environment and farm productivity. “We have seen probably a 20 percent increase in productivity, and as weather events happen more frequently, we are seeing our crops less affected by it, whether that’s too much rain or not enough,” Bellavance says.
Bellavance believes these practices are an important story for Ben & Jerry’s to share with consumers. “Consumers want to know how that food is produced, how the people helping were treated and how that land was managed. It goes back to one of my main focuses being product safety and quality, because for food to be good quality, it has to be produced on land that is well cared for. Quality food, especially dairy, has to come from healthy, robust cows.”
He adds, “You can see how it’s all intertwined—animals, employees, product quality and the environment—one is not more important or less important than another.” This holistic approach guides Sunset Lake Farm’s daily decisions and long-term planning, ensuring the farm remains productive, sustainable, and connected to the community it serves.