Vermont through and through
The Leach family has farmed Vermont’s spectacular Mettawee Valley for almost two hundred years, operating a dairy farm at Woodlawn for seven generations.
Run today by Seth Leach and his wife, Kate, Woodlawn celebrates the agricultural history—and future—of Vermont.
WHO WE ARE
Seth and Kate Leach
Seth is the 7th generation to farm at Woodlawn in Vermont’s spectacular Mettawee Valley. Since taking over active management of the farm in 2015, Seth has diversified the business—adding a Wagyu beef herd, opening a farm store, and supplying milk to artisan cheesemakers—all while remaining true to the farm’s core function: producing the highest quality milk from a herd of 120 Registered Holsteins.
Kate delights in being the farmer’s wife. Off the farm, her career has focused on fundraising and communications; on the farm, she is most often found in the kitchen or garden, or with her nose in a spreadsheet or a book about food or English history.
Seth and Kate live at Woodlawn Farmstead with their two boys in the home built by Seth’s family in the 1790s.
Tim and Dot Leach
Tim and Dot are the 6th generation of Woodlawn, and raised Seth and his three siblings at the home farm. Now retired from the dairy, Tim leads Woodlawn’s maple syrup production, grows the valley’s best sweet corn, and continues his reign as “the world’s finest mower of hay.” Dot is Mama and Grammy extraordinaire and serves on the board of the The Sunrise School in Kenya.
Hannah Fay
Hannah comes to Woodlawn from the Northeast Kingdom, where she ran her own family dairy in the small town of Maidstone. A graduate of UVM and proud mother of two girls, Isabelle and Elizabeth, Hannah brings extensive experience in herd management, breeding, calf care, and what to do when $%^ goes sideways.
Jodie Mach
A lifelong resident of Pawlet, Jodie joined Woodlawn in 2024, bringing decades of dairy farming experience, a wicked sense of humor, and zero patience for nonsense.
Rob Waite
Rob has been a steady and much valued presence in the milking parlor at Woodlawn since Seth was in high school—that’s almost 30 years of nicknaming cows, pitching in wherever needed, and showing up on time every time.
James Elworthy
James came to Woodlawn after running his own organic dairy in Poultney; he and his wife Sarah are also the duo behind Liberty Farm and Fish—an incredible opportunity to get fresh seafood up from Boston every week, for pickup at Woodlawn’s Farm Store and other farms in the area. Join their mailing list to see what’s available each week!
Jacob Siletti
Jacob is the newest member of the Woodlawn team, joining us in the fall of 2024. He brings a background in landscaping and real estate, and is quickly learning the ins and outs of a working dairy farm.