About Us

Who We Are

Bobolink Farm is a grass-based livestock and maple operation in East Montpelier, Vermont. We produce lamb, maple syrup, and wool products for direct sales to consumers at local Farmers’ Markets.

We manage our flock using intensive rotational grazing. As we rehabilitate the farm’s aging infrastructure and neglected pasture land, we are working to maintain a healthy ecosystem, in order to provide diverse natural habitat for the bobolink and other wildlife, to maintaining productive farmland, and to creating a dynamic hub for our local community.

CAROL DICKSON, Co-Owner
Carol co-manages the Bobolink sheep flock and takes the lead on sales and marketing, as well as the vegetable garden. She grew up on a small horse farm in Massachusetts where her grandmother raised Morgans. She studied English in college and graduate school, and has spent her career as an educator, primarily teaching literature and writing, including at Goddard College and The Putney School, as well as teaching with various experiential outdoor programs. Seeking to integrate her love of the natural world with literary and cultural history brought her to Sterling College, where she currently teaches courses in environmental humanities.

BRUCE HOWLETT, Co-Owner
Bruce is the primary tractor driver, veterinary technician, sheep wrangler, and forest manager at Bobolink Farm. He was raised on a dairy farm in Addison County, Vermont, so has been working on farms and around livestock since an early age. At University, he studied biology, botany, then tropical forest ecology, writing a dissertation from his research on logging impacts in Malaysian Borneo. He spent several years teaching environmental science: in northeastern Australia, at Goddard College in Plainfield (where he and Carol met), then in Washington state. Despairing of finding a permanent position in academia, he hung up the tassel and returned to Vermont and his agricultural roots, working for the Conservation Districts in VT and MA, then USDA-NRCS, helping farmers plan and apply for grants to improve their operations and to maintain regulatory compliance. He continues to consult with farmers for the White River Conservation District, on grazing systems, agronomy, and support for NRCS applications.