A letter from Neshobe Farm founder, Charles Johnson

When I found the Steinberg Farm for sale on the Internet in 2003, I immediately began envisioning a sustainable community or eco-village…

I interested some other Green and natural builders in the project, and we began to hold meetings in Brandon, Vermont, to seek input on what the existing community would like to see. The more I visited Brandon and talked to its people, the more I became enamored with the culture of Vermont. The commitment to rural landscape preservation, agriculture, environmental protection, arts and crafts, and community values, all combine for a lifestyle that is an idealized dream for many Americans.

There is also a strong voice calling for affordable housing and economic development. The Neshobe Farm design was conceived over several years of conversation and deliberation to meet the desires of Vermonters and our larger culture.

As I shared the idea with people, the response was often “It sounds kind of vague. What is it about?” It became clear that Neshobe Farm is much more than a housing development. It's really a "Holistic Community" within the community of Brandon, Vermont,  designed to address the diverse needs of the people who live there--cultural, commercial, economic, recreational,  and health and wellness--all within walking distance. We call it "holistic" beause it attempts to address the needs of the "whole person."

Now, like-minded folks are beginning to gather to farm, build, celebrate, and create enterprises to share in this adventure of creating a community with a community.

Please visit, share, and contribute as you wish.

Charles Samuel Johnson