Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets is seeking feedback

Submitted by katie on Mon, 10/17/2022 - 06:22

Your Chance to Give Feedback on the AgDev Sunday Newsletter!

VermontBiz The Agriculture Development Division of the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets is seeking feedback on our weekly newsletter.

What started as a way to distribute up-to-date resources to the food and farm community during the COVID-19 pandemic has become a weekly newsletter highlighting funding and educational opportunities. As we move forward, we are looking for concrete feedback to inform the direction of the newsletter. We are also looking to better identify our audience so we can find and distribute content that is most relevant and useful to you!

Whether you love the newsletter, can't stand it, or think there's areas where we could do better, we sincerely hope you'll take a minute to help us improve this community resource.

If you want to participate, click the orange text box below. Your responses should take no more than five minutes. If you have questions, please contact Drew Watson, Agriculture Development Specialist, at [email protected].

Click Here to Fill Out the Survey

New Farm First Farmer Peer Network

Farmers are in a unique position to help one another manage the stressors of farm life and to learn to thrive together.

That is the core concept behind the Farmer Peer Network, a new program of Farm First, a Vermont-based public program providing resources and support for farmers for more than a decade.

Join Farm First this Thursday for a virtual community gathering to learn more about the Farmer Peer Network and Farm First resources, review the 2023 Peer Training schedule, and more!

This free online gathering will be recorded and available if you are unable to attend. Registration is encouraged.

Virtual Event: Oct. 20th at 6:00pm ET

Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program

The Agency of Ag has funding from a USDA Local Food Purchase AssistanceCooperative Agreement to help organizations purchase and distribute local food to underserved communities. We would like to connect farmers and food producers who may be interested in selling food to participating organizations.

If you are a Vermont farmer or food producer who would like to connect to organizations with funding for local food purchasing, please complete this form by Nov. 1st.

Questions? Contact Julia Scheier at [email protected] or 802-522-7042. Please note this form does not guarantee an organization will purchase food from you.

Application Deadline: Nov. 1st

Coming Soon: Dairy Food Safety & Certification Grant

The Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center is excited to launch the second round of the Dairy Food Safety & Certification Grant.This opportunity will support dairy farmers, processors, and producer associations to improve the safety of dairy products.

Projects should build upon existing state and federal compliance requirements to improve consistency, production safety standards, and quality of dairy products. Projects that use food safety improvements to improve dairy product marketability or reach new markets will have priority. Awards range from $10,000 - $40,000 with a 25% required match.

The application is open from October 27 - December 8. The Request for Applications is available now.

Application Opens: October 27th

New VAAFM Marketing and Agritourism Blog

Marketing. For many, it's a necessary evil of running a business. Chances are, if you’re a farmer, you didn’t get into this work to design logos and write copy for social media posts.

You farm because you find the work deeply meaningful. You like to have your hands in soil, you want to spend your days outside caring for the land, you want to feed your community, or carry on a family legacy.

While sales and marketing might sometimes feel overwhelming, or like a distraction from the work you truly want to be doing, the passion you have for your work gives you an advantage in one of the first and most essential steps in creating an effective marketing strategy - and it’s one that’s often overlooked.

Continue reading the first edition of the brand new Marketing and Agritourism blog from the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets!

View the VAAFM Grants Calendar