Deputy Secretary of Ag Merrigan to highlight growth of local and regional agriculture in Vermont and NH

On Tuesday, September 11, Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Kathleen Merrigan will discuss how the growing agricultural economy is helping to create jobs and expand local and regional food systems in New Hampshire and Vermont.
In Vermont, Deputy Secretary Merrigan will tour The Brattleboro Food Co-op, which has grown from a tiny warehouse storefront in 1979 into a $17 million operation supporting 109 high-quality jobs today. In 2010, the Co-op secured a USDA Business and Industry Guaranteed Loan to expand into a larger space and offer additional retail capacity for the 146 local farmers and 46 local food producers who sell there.
Later in the day, Deputy Secretary Merrigan will tour several New Hampshire farms to highlight how local and regional food systems create additional economic opportunities for farmers, ranchers and food entrepreneurs, expand healthy food access and meet growing customer demand. She will also tour the site of the new Monadnock Community Market Co-op, another USDA guaranteed loan recipient. Scheduled to open in early 2013, the Monadnock Community Market Coop will provide New Hampshire farmers the opportunity to sell their food locally, strengthening the community and the economy.
Deputy Secretary Merrigan will conclude the day with a meeting with students and faculty at Keene State College as part of USDA’s College Tour. Merrigan has visited nearly 30 colleges and universities so far, educating young people about the nation’s food and agriculture system and opportunities in farming.
Through the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Program, USDA is providing resources and expertise that strengthen the critical connection between farmers and consumers and supports local and regional food systems. USDA recently unveiled the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food (KYF) Compass, an interactive web-based document and map highlighting support for local and regional food projects and successful producer, business and community case studies. The KYF Compass is a digital guide to USDA resources related to local and regional food systems. The Compass consists of an interactive U.S. map showing local and regional food projects and an accompanying narrative documenting the results of this work through case studies, photos and video content.