The Kibbe Farm Conservation Project

Fall 2026 Newsletter

Above the cliffs of Keeler Bay lies a plateau of rolling hills, forested wetlands, and open fields known as Kibbe Farm. This beautiful land has been in active farming since Ebenezer Kibbe began grazing sheep on the peninsula in the early 1800s. In 1940, the Lalumiere Family purchased the farm after being tenant farmers for several years. 

Today, South Hero Land Trust and Vermont Land Trust are working with the Lalumiere Family to conserve this historic farm, and support the family’s vision to grow a collaborative farming operation on the land.

In 2024, stewardship of Kibbe Farm passed into the hands of Brian Lalumiere and his wife, Sue. Both come from agricultural families, and are committed to keeping the land in farming. The family’s vision is to preserve the farm through conservation, and to reinvest conservation funds into the farm infrastructure to support new and beginning farmers through a collective farming model. 

Over the past year, the Lalumieres have been working with farm business planners at the Intervale Center and agricultural research experts at UVM Extension to round out their vision of the farm as a collaborative endeavor. The conservation easement will also include an “Option to Purchase at Agricultural Value” (OPAV), which helps ensure the land will be permanently affordable to future farmers. In Brian’s words, “we’re laying the foundation for the next generation.”

The Lalumieres are also very aware of the lack of available housing in South Hero and the challenges facing young people and families who want to stay in Vermont. Within the conserved areas, the easement allows landowners to build up to 3 farmworker housing units, so farmers can live and work on the land in the future. The family has excluded the area around the farmhouse, and an area near Route 2, which has the least productive soils and is closest to existing development, to allow for modest additions of farm infrastructure and housing. 

The Lalumiere Family envisions the farm as a community resource and gathering space. Once the farm is up and running, they plan to build a farm store, host events, and partner with South Hero Land Trust to host youth educational programs.

Protecting Critical Farmland

To make any of this possible would require a good landbase, and thankfully Kibbe Farm has just that. Over the past two centuries, the peninsula's fertile, well-drained soils have supported sheep, beef cattle, corn, vegetables, fruit, and hay.

Overall, Kibbe Farm includes 106 acres of farmland, 92% of which is rated as prime and statewide agricultural soil, meaning the best in the state. The location of the farm perched high above the floodplain protects it from the climate-change induced flooding which is becoming all too common in Vermont. Protection of this farm is not only important for the family and this community, but also for our food sovereignty, and our ability to feed ourselves now and in the future. 

Supporting Water and Wildlife

Keeler Bay provides beautiful views, a great place for fishing and boating, and drinking water for many village residents. It’s also home to many aquatic plants and animals. However, the health of Keeler Bay’s waters has been a concern for many years.

In addition to protecting farm fields, the Kibbe Farm Conservation Project will also place ecological protection zones over the last undeveloped 1,550 feet of shoreline along Keeler Bay, and a 60 acre forested wetland complex in the center of the peninsula. These areas slow down, trap, and filter stormwater, reducing its erosive power, while also providing habitat for wildlife and connectivity between the peninsula and the rest of South Hero.  

The Next Chapter 

South Hero Land Trust and Vermont Land Trust have been working together with the Lalumieres to conserve this special farm and landscape. Through significant federal and state funding and generous support from the landowners, we have raised 87% of the total cost of this project. 

Help us raise the final 13%! Your gift of any amount will help us protect this special landscape and farm for generations to come.