A person and two children walking through a field of green plants, with a scenic view of mountains, trees, a farm building, and a clear blue sky in the background.

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Preserving a Legacy and Building Hope for the Sixth Generation

The story of a fifth-generation Vermont farm, the loss of more than a century of family heritage, and one father's promise to rebuild for his son.

Black and white photo of two people sitting in a horse-drawn wagon filled with hay, pulled by a horse, in front of a barn or farmhouse.

The Russell/Fuller family farm, Bristol, Vermont, circa 1934.

In the News

If you'd like to learn more about my family's journey and the challenges facing Vermont agriculture and cannabis, these independent publications have shared parts of our story.

Addison County Independent – Front-page feature highlighting Leaning Barn VT Hemp Co. and the beginning of the 2019 hemp harvest. (October 10, 2019)

Addison Independent – Feature covering Vermont's Cannabis Control Board formation, including Randy Russell's perspective on legalization and his hope that cannabis could help save the family's fifth-generation farm. (July 29, 2021)

Addison Independent – Front-page feature chronicling the loss of our family's fifth-generation farm and the challenges that led to its sale. (July 2, 2026)

Our Story

Since 1909, five generations of my family called this Vermont farm home. We cared for its fields, forests, and mountains, passing down the values of hard work, stewardship, and perseverance from one generation to the next.

This wasn't just where my family worked—it was where we lived, learned, celebrated, and built a life together.

In 2026, after years of financial hardship and changing agricultural markets, I was forced to sell the property that had been in my family for more than a century. It was one of the hardest decisions I have ever made.

Although the land is no longer ours, our story isn't over.

Leaning Barn VT was named after the old leaning barn—the original corn crib and the oldest remaining barn on our family farm. Weathered by time yet still standing, it became a symbol of resilience, perseverance, and the enduring spirit of our family. Those same values continue to guide Leaning Barn VT today.

This website is dedicated to honoring the generations who came before me while building hope for the future. My greatest hope is that one day my son will have the opportunity to become the sixth generation of our family to steward a farm and carry forward a family legacy that began in 1909.

A scenic view of a valley with farmland and a small road, surrounded by colorful autumn trees on rolling hills and mountains under a clear blue sky.

The Farm

Rolling fields, maple forests, historic barns, and sweeping mountain views weren't just the landscape—they were the backdrop to our family's life. It wasn't simply where we lived—it shaped who we became.
From the sugarbush overlooking the valley to the hayfields below, from stone walls scattered across the landscape to well-worn mountain paths, every corner of this farm holds memories of the generations who worked this land before me.
Long days in the fields, maple seasons in the woods, and evenings spent around the barns became the rhythm of life, instilling a deep respect for the land.
Although my family no longer owns the farm, its legacy lives on. The lessons it taught—hard work, resilience, perseverance, and stewardship—continue to guide my life and inspire everything that comes next.

Family with a young girl sitting on a toy all-terrain vehicle inside a large greenhouse with wooden walls and a transparent arched roof.

Inside a greenhouse with rows of potted plants on wooden tables, a person sitting at a small white plastic table with a laptop, and gardening supplies stacked on the floor. The greenhouse has a curved plastic roof supported by metal frames and a large fan hanging from the ceiling.

An old wooden barn on wheels situated in a lush green field with mountains in the background and a bright blue sky.

A young boy with a toy in his hand walking on grass in front of a farm stand and greenhouses, with trees, mountains, and cloudy sky in the background.

A young girl wearing a straw hat looking at a vibrant field of pink flowers, with green hills and a clear blue sky in the background.

A young child wearing a straw hat, white t-shirt, and sandals walking outdoors on rough, tilled terrain near green grass and bushes, with lush green hills and a partly cloudy blue sky in the background.

A young boy sitting on a pumpkin-filled wooden cart in a pumpkin patch, with large pumpkins in front of him and farm fields and trees in the background.

Growing the Future

Building a sustainable future has always been at the heart of my family's story. Long before cannabis, I was focused on protecting the land, embracing responsible farming practices, and finding new ways to keep a working Vermont farm thriving for the next generation.

In 2003, I became a Certified Organic grower through the Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA), continuing my family's commitment to responsible land stewardship. Over the years, I built commercial greenhouses, diversified into new crops, and eventually created the Leaning Barn VT roadside farm stand to connect directly with our local community.

Every new venture was an investment in the future—an effort to preserve the values my family passed down while adapting to a changing world.

The greenhouses and farm stand weren't just places to grow food—they became places where my son learned the value of hard work, responsibility, and respect for the land. Although the family farm has been sold, those lessons continue to shape the future we're building together.

A boy stands in front of a flower stand with a sign that reads 'The Leaving Barn Farm Stand.' The stand is made of wood, with red and white decorations, and is filled with potted flowers and plants. The boy is making a peace sign with his hand and is smiling. The sky is partly cloudy, and there are trees in the background.

Black and white photo of a family portrait with a man, woman, and two young boys, all dressed in vintage clothing.

Two boys sitting on horseback in an open field, with trees and power lines in the background, appears to be an old black-and-white photo.

Black and white photo of a tractor pulling a two-horse wagon through a wooded area with leafless trees, with two people riding on the wagon.

Family gathered around during Christmas, children opening presents, adults sitting on a couch with wrapped gifts, decorated for the holiday season.

A black-and-white photo of a house covered in snow, with large snowbanks in the foreground and snow on the roof, taken in March 1958.

Six children sitting around a table, celebrating a birthday with a cake, in a vintage kitchen with patterned wallpaper, a clock, and a shelf with decorations in the background.

A black and white photo of a man and a young girl standing outside on a porch or deck area, with a building and a shed in the background. The man is bending down and looking at the girl.

A man and a young girl riding a calf in front of a wooden building.

A black-and-white photograph of a young girl sitting on a tractor, smiling at the camera, with a man, possibly her father, standing beside her. They are outside a house with a wooden exterior.

A boy and a man in a forest collecting sap from a tree using buckets.

A young man holding a baby in a field, smiling at an elderly man, in a green outdoor landscape.

A young child wearing a colorful jacket and a knit hat standing in a farm field with houses and hills in the background on a sunny day.

This farm was more than just fields and barns—it was home. These photographs capture five generations of our family living, working, and growing together on the same land. They represent the traditions, values, and memories that continue to inspire everything I do today.

A scenic view of a rural area with farm buildings, trees, and rolling hills covered in fall foliage during sunset, with a cloudy sky overhead.

Losing the Farm

For generations, my family believed that if you worked hard, adapted to change, and cared for the land, the farm would endure. I believed that too.

In the years leading up to the sale of the farm, a series of setbacks took their toll. The collapse of the hemp market, the economic impacts of COVID-19, rising debt, and my own business decisions all placed tremendous financial pressure on the farm. When Vermont legalized adult-use cannabis, I believed it offered one final opportunity to save what generations before me had built.

Instead, the market quickly became oversaturated, prices collapsed, and the revenue needed to support the farm disappeared while debt, investor commitments, operating costs, and day-to-day operating expenses remained. After exhausting every option I could find, I made the hardest decision of my life—I sold the family farm in an effort to repay investors, satisfy senior debt, and honor as many financial obligations as possible.

Although the land is no longer ours, I refused to let the story end there. As part of the sale, I negotiated a Right of First Refusal, giving my son the opportunity to purchase the farm if it is ever offered for sale again.

It is not a guarantee.

But it preserves a possibility.

The sale of the farm did not leave me with the resources to begin again. Every dollar went toward satisfying senior debt, business obligations, and repaying the investors who stood beside me through the collapse of Vermont's hemp and cannabis markets. I am starting over with little more than my experience, the lessons the farm taught me, my determination, and the hope of building another place where my son can continue our family's legacy.

Leaning Barn VT is that new beginning. It is more than a business—it is a commitment to honor the generations who came before me by building something worth passing on. I cannot change what was lost, but I can carry forward the values this farm instilled in me: hard work, stewardship, resilience, and respect for the land.

My hope is simple: that one day my son will have the opportunity to become the sixth generation of our family to steward a farm. Whether that happens on the family farm or somewhere entirely new, the legacy is not defined by one piece of land. It is defined by the values that are passed from one generation to the next.

Because in the end, a family's legacy is not measured by what they own, but by what they leave behind.

A man in a white shirt and camouflage hat holding hands with a young child in a white shirt and camouflage pants walking through a field of green plants against a backdrop of tree-covered mountains and a blue sky with a few clouds.

Building the Sixth Generation

The story doesn't end with the sale of a farm.

It begins with a new purpose.

Everything I do today is focused on creating a place where my son can grow up surrounded by the same values that shaped my life—hard work, stewardship, self-reliance, and a deep respect for the land. Years ago, I promised him that one day we'd have a farm of our own. That promise continues to guide me every day.

Since losing the farm, I've spent countless hours driving Vermont's back roads, stopping at old farmhouses, aging barns, and recently closed farms. I've knocked on doors, introduced myself, shared my family's story, and asked complete strangers if they would consider selling through owner financing. Those conversations aren't always easy, but every mile brings me one step closer to the future I'm working to build.

Rebuilding won't happen overnight. It means finding the right property, restoring the land, planting maple trees, building barns and greenhouses, and creating a place where my son can experience the same connection to the land that shaped generations of my family. Like those before me, I know that anything worth building is earned one step at a time.

Leaning Barn VT is the foundation of that vision. Through farming, conservation, education, and community, my goal isn't simply to replace what was lost—it's to build something worthy of being passed on.

My greatest hope is that one day my son will have the opportunity to become the sixth generation of our family to steward a farm. Whether that future begins on our original family farm or somewhere entirely new, the values that define our family will remain the same.

Until that day comes, I'll keep driving, keep knocking on doors, and keep believing that somewhere there's a farm waiting for a family willing to care for it, restore it, and call it home.

A Few Farm Memories

These are a few of my favorite memories of Jaxson growing up on our family farm. From the time he could walk, he was by my side—helping in the sugarbush, riding tractors, working in the greenhouses, caring for animals, and learning the values that have shaped our family for generations. I hope these photographs give you a glimpse into why rebuilding means so much to us.

Join Our Journey

If you've taken the time to read our story, thank you.

What you've read isn't simply the story of a farm that was lost. It's the story of a family determined to build again—and a promise that one day my son will have the opportunity to continue our family's legacy of stewardship.

Rebuilding won't happen overnight, and I don't expect to do it alone. Along the way, I've met incredible people who have shared encouragement, offered advice, connected me with landowners, and reminded me that there are still people who believe family farms are worth preserving.

If this story has resonated with you, there are many ways to become part of this journey.

Follow Along

Stay connected as I share updates, photographs, projects, and the ongoing search for the next farm. Every step forward brings us one step closer to building the future we've imagined.

Share the Story

If you know someone who might appreciate this journey—or someone who owns a farm that may one day be ready for its next steward—I would be grateful if you shared my story. Sometimes the right introduction can change everything.

Introduce Us

If you know of a farm, a landowner, or an opportunity that might align with our mission, I'd love to hear from you. Many of the most meaningful conversations begin with a simple introduction.

Support the Journey

Whether you choose to contribute financially, introduce us to a landowner, share our story, or simply follow along, every act of support helps move this journey forward.

Your encouragement allows us to keep searching, keep building, and keep believing that the sixth generation is still possible.

From Our Family to Yours

If you choose to support this journey, please know that I'll never think of you as just a donor. I'll think of you as someone who believed in this story and chose to help write its next chapter.

My hope is that one day, when we've found the right farm and put down new roots, you'll come visit. Walk the fields, sit on the porch, enjoy a shot of maple syrup, meet the animals, and see firsthand what your encouragement helped make possible.

Whether your support comes through a donation, introducing us to a landowner, sharing our story, or simply following along, you're helping preserve something far greater than a farm. You're helping keep alive the values of stewardship, hard work, and perseverance that have guided my family for generations.

Thank you for believing that some legacies are worth rebuilding.

With sincere gratitude,

Randy Russell
Leaning Barn VT

❤️ Help Build the Sixth Generation by Clicking HERE

Every contribution—large or small— helps move this journey forward. Your support brings us one step closer to creating a place where the sixth generation can continue our family's legacy of stewardship.

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