— By Erica Houskeeper

6/17/25

Corinth, VT — Margaret Loftus zigzags across her front yard along a dead-end dirt road. Two farm tractors are parked in the driveway, and a sap bucket hangs from a tree behind a row of mailboxes.

With her labradoodle, Bjornsen, trotting alongside, Loftus ducks past the tractors into a giant field. The sun warms a greenhouse with cucumbers and peppers, and garden beds sprout lettuces, herbs, and broccoli.

“Farming requires more skills than anything I’ve ever done in my entire life,” says Loftus, a former public defender. She and her husband, Jonathan, an engineer-turned-farmer, left Brooklyn for West Corinth 19 years ago. They were searching for a better place to raise their children and grow their own food.

The couple was drawn to the area partly because Loftus’s brother, a retired cheese farmer, lives nearby. When they arrived in 2006, their sons, Keelan and Tobin, were 4 and 2. A third son, Wendell, was later born at the farm.

Margaret Loftus and Bjornsen. All photos © Erica Houskeeper.

“Corinth is an incredibly welcoming town,” says Loftus, eyeing a stunning view of Pike Hill to the east. “We have a good, solid mix of people here.”

Crossmolina Farm, named after a town in Ireland, is set on 40 acres off Gristmill Road. Cell service is non-existent, and Google Maps often gives customers wrong directions.

Nearly a decade ago, the farm became a full-time enterprise. After years of learning about growing organic vegetables and raising animals for beef, pork and lamb, Loftus eventually called herself a farmer—out loud.

"It was out of respect,” says Loftus as she shifts a baseball cap over her braided hair. “Being a farmer means having big shoes to fill. And becoming a farmer was an honor I needed to work toward over time. But I’m definitely a farmer now.”

A Community Hub

Fourteen years after moving to West Corinth, Loftus and her husband opened Cookeville Market, three miles from the farm.

The market is the beating heart of Cookeville, one of many hamlets in the town of Corinth. The nearest grocery store is in Bradford, about 10 miles away.

"Cookeville Market is part farm stand, part general store, part CSA," Loftus explains.

In May, locals celebrated the market’s fifth birthday party.  Under a green and white tent on the Cookeville green, Loftus flipped burgers while employees prepared bratwurst and garden salads. A birthday cake was perched on a table and musicians serenaded the crowd. Kids played tag, friends hugged and everyone ate.

Margaret Loftus and her nephew, Brendan, serve up food at the Cookeville Market anniversary party.

Loftus beams when she describes the market as not just a store but a place to socialize.

“Something we don't have in America as much anymore are places to gather and build community,” she says.

On a typical Saturday morning, the day locals take their garbage to the dump, customers stop by the market, drink coffee and talk about the weather or rising dump fees—a hot topic in town.