The Farm

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About The Farm

The historic dairy farm in Tunbridge, VT is currently home to Flying Dog Farm, a certified organic, pasture based, regenerative livestock farm focused on building soil and ecosystem health, animal wellbeing, and feeding our community.

Flying Dog Farm is owned and run by Shona Sanford-Long and Hugo Yanez, husband and wife team with years of experience in farming, butchery, and restaurants. Rich in knowledge and experience, but like so many young farmers without accumulated capital or family wealth, they were unable to find a permanent land and home to create a viable farm and farm to table business. 

This is when community members joined together to form the White River Land Collaborative with the intention of addressing issues of affordability and secure land access for the next generation of farmers and stewards.

Flying Dog Farm raises beef cattle, pigs, and sheep, as well as making burritos, tacos, and salsas to sell at the Norwich Farmer’s Market, and hosting burger and taco nights on the farm. 

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Our Work

Pasture Regeneration

Flying Dog Farm uses management intensive grazing practices to steadily improve the quality of the pastures they manage as well as providing the highest quality feed to their livestock. Since 2021 they have been part of a research project with Vermont Land Trust, UVM, and Philo Ridge Farm, measuring the effects of management intensive grazing and nutrient (compost) amendments on this land, and recent results have shown that the soils here have increased biological activity and water storage capacity due to those management practices. This careful management has enabled Flying Dog Farm to slowly increase the numbers of livestock this land can healthily sustain - even while adjusting to years of both flooding and extreme drought.

Silvopasture Planting

Working with Interlace Agroforestry and the White River Conservation District, Flying Dog Farm has planted over a hundred trees in the pastures to provide shade and fodder for their livestock and, in addition, improve habitat for wild species. Flying Dog Farm plans to continue working with both of these organizations to create silvopasture systems that will both benefit the farm and can be a resource for other farmers and community members to learn from.

Burger and Taco Nights

In 2023 Flying Dog Farm began hosting Burger Nights on the farm as a way to bring community onto the farm, and diversify the business. Burger Nights have since become an important gathering space for friends and neighbors as well as visitors from farther afield. For the summer of 2026 Flying Dog Farm plans to host two burger nights and one taco night each month.

Farm Store

Flying Dog Farm is working step by step to improve the infrastructure on the farm. In 2025, they began turning one side of a garage on the farm into a little farm store. As they build it out, they plan to work with other local farmers interested in selling their products here as well.

Holstein Stock Barn

This historic barn is not currently usable for agriculture, but the White River Land Collaborative, working with Preservation Trust of Vermont, has plans to repair and renovate this special building into a space containing a commercial kitchen, cold storage, a larger farm store, and a seasonal community event space while still maintaining the historic elements that make this an iconic historic barn in Tunbridge. The modern improvements will not only be of value to Flying Dog Farm, but a resource to other local farmers and the community as a whole.