A major project is underway at Cloud Water Farm on Route 100 in Warren, where the farm’s 38-foot x 100-foot barn is being raised to allow for essential structural improvements. The farm is owned by Joe Bossen who bought it in 2021.
The project includes installing a new frost-protected foundation, remedying site drainage issues and flood risk factors, and putting in a new interior concrete slab. Lifting the barn is no small task, but it is one that Vermont Heavy Timber, Huntington, can handle. Vermont Heavy Timber owner Miles Jenesse recently helped reconstruct Notre Dame and the Waitsfield Covered Bridge.
Once complete, the renovation will create a space better-suited for the needs of the farm and Vermont Bean Crafters' future seed cleaning facility, where local beans and grains will be cleaned and packaged for human consumption.
The project brings new life to a critical farm structure, respecting its history while making it far more useful for the farm’s future explained Robin McDermott, who helped with the original conservation and managed Muddy Boots CSA at the site.
Cloud Water Farm is an agroforestry farm focused on growing beans and grains alongside perennial fruits and basketry willow. The farm is also home to Vermont Bean Crafters and the host site for Muddy Boots CSA.
The history of Kingsbury Farm reflects nearly two decades of community collaboration, land conservation, and evolving local food production. It was a dairy farm until the 1960s when the Kingsbury family had the property. In 2006 the 22-acre property with two barns, a farmhouse, and over 2,000 feet of riverfront along the Mad River was conserved. Local groups mobilized to purchase the farm for $495,000, with the Vermont Land Trust (VLT) acting as the interim purchaser/owner.
At the time, Liza Walker, the land trust’s local representative, explained that although the organization prefers not to hold property, the parcel’s agricultural and community significance warranted its involvement. By purchasing the land – with assistance from funds allocated by Warren and many private donors, – VLT ensured that it would be conserved. The arrangement also bought time for the community to determine the property’s long-term management and use. Local groups, including Yestermorrow, the Warren Conservation Commission, the Mad River Valley Housing Coalition, the Mad River Localvores, and others collaborated on possible visions. The town contributed up to $125,000 for the purchase, reflecting broad public support.
The Vermont Foodbank became the next steward of Kingsbury Farm. With financial support from the Warren Conservation Fund, VLT sold the property to the foodbank, which appointed farmer Aaron Locker to manage it. Under the agreement, Locker produced 30,000 pounds of vegetables annually for the Foodbank. Later, Locker purchased the farm from the organization and continued farming until April 9, when he sold Kingsbury Farm to Joe Bossen, founder of Vermont Bean Crafters and All Souls Tortilla.
The property was renamed Cloud Water Farm. Bossen was already connected to the site, having produced bean burgers there since 2015 and previously incubating All Souls Tortilleria on the premises. With ownership in hand, he planned to expand production by growing his own beans and vegetables, repurposing the barn for drying and post-harvest processing, and exploring future perennial crops such as heritage apple varieties along the Mad Path.
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