June 2024
Farm to Plate is Vermont’s food system plan being implemented statewide to increase economic development and jobs in the farm and food sector and improve access to healthy local food for all Vermonters.
2021-2030 Vermont Food System Strategic Plan
Access the 2023 Farm to Plate Annual Report
Developing the Local Food Retail Supply Chain
In 2023, the Grocer’s Project continued its commitment to supporting Vermont farmers and food businesses through comprehensive training and technical assistance programs. Cohort retail training was delivered to 33 food producers and farmers, focusing on retail strategies, effective merchandising, and boosting retail wholesale sales. The cohort approach fostered networking and peer learning, resulting in enriched skill sets and enhanced industry collaboration. Additionally, Technical Assistance initiatives provided invaluable support to independent Vermont grocery stores, co-ops and distributors, equipping them with the knowledge and tools to enhance their operations and viability through increased local food purchasing. These efforts contribute to the enduring sustainability of Vermont’s local food system.
Produce Farm & Warehouse Tour
Join us at an organic vegetable farm
Building relationships between producers, distributors & wholesale customers is the basis of our local food economy.
June 27th from 10 am - 2 pm, the VT Grocers Project is hosting a visit to Foote Brook Farm & Deep Root Organic Coop Warehouse in Johnson, VT.
This is a chance to get out in the field to see firsthand how vegetables and produce moves from farm through to retail. The day covers farm production & product handling, packing, shipping, distribution, & product integrity throughout the supply chain. We aim for engaging conversations and a good day meeting new Produce folks and others interested in understanding how Produce is sold wholesale.
Check out this video about Foote Brook Farm and have a look at the Seven Days article on climate impacts which interviews Tony & Joie about the farm.
$2.3 Million in Grant Funds to Support Working Lands Businesses
The Working Lands Enterprise Board (WLEB) has announced 51 awards to Vermont farm, forest, and food businesses and organizations in 2024. The $2,329,561 in awards will support those who are earning a living off the land.
The award categories are:
- American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Primary Producer Impact Grants
- Business Enhancement Grants
- Small Farm Diversification & Transition Grants
- Supply Chain Impact Grants
- Trade Show Assistance Grants
Open Farm Week 2024:
Registration Open to Farmers to List Events
Calling all farmers! There is still time to register to participate in the 10th anniversary of Vermont Open Farm Week! This year’s event is scheduled to take place August 4-11, 2024.
Open Farm Week provides an excellent opportunity to connect with your community, engage with customers, and highlight the unique aspects of your farm. You can choose any day during the week to host an event, or host on multiple days during the week if your schedule allows!
To ensure a memorable experience for visitors, Open Farm Week events must include an activity that is not part of the regular farm schedule. This could include tours of fields or barns, tastings, cooking demonstrations, workshops, direct product sales, and more.
There are a range of registration fees available to make the event accessible to all farms. These fees cover coordination, planning, registration management, outreach, promotion through various channels, marketing materials, and resources for each farm.
The recommended fee for participation is $50/farm. Neighboring farms interested in collaborating and marketing their events together can sign up together and receive a $10 discount per farm.
Visit diginvt.com/blog/openfarmweekforfarmers to learn more and sign up today!
Registration closes July 1, 2024
NOW AVAILABLE!
VSJF's Business Sense Training Tools
For Entrepreneurs and Small Business Owners
Business Sense is a FREE no-fluff source of information that gets right to the heart of what small business owners need: essential tools and informational resources to help your business grow!
Module 1: Financial Literacy
Module 2: Business Operations
Module 3: Business Leadership and Governance
Module 4: Human Resources
Module 5: Marketing
Module 6: Sales
Food Security in Vermont: Roadmap to 2035
A1: Provide direct, easy-to-access financial support to farmers who provide essential services to Vermont
Vermont’s farmers are essential workers, whose services to Vermonters encompass food production, flood mitigation, carbon sequestration, and cultural stewardship.
Direct payments provide a reliable bottom line to stay in business, provide for food security, and reduce risk and impact from climate change and other disruptions. Historical land and wage theft due to racism also leaves many farmers with fewer resources to grow a business than those allowed, over generations, to build and retain wealth or keep land and pass it down.. This is an opportunity to prioritize Vermont’s cultural, agricultural, and environmental values by providing direct support to the farm families who feed us and care for our natural resources.
Voices of Vermonters:
“[…] I haven't really raised my prices in many, many years, and the cost of everything has gone up. I want lower income people to have access to organic, nutrient dense food, and so how do I still make a living and make my product affordable?”
Read about the strategies that will reach this objective in the Roadmap, page 32 - 33
Future of Agriculture Commission Action Plan Report - 2023 Supplemental Report
Events over the past year have only reinforced the importance of Vermont’s agricultural economy and the urgent need for a more viable and resilient statewide and regional food system. The historic flooding in July 2023 substantially damaged farmlands, leaving many farmers struggling to recover and continue their vital operations. While all Vermont farms were affected, countless farmers suffered significant losses, with some facing financial ruin. The impacts extended beyond individual farms to communities and businesses that rely on locally sourced food. These losses occurred on the heels of a highly damaging, once-in-a-generation late-season freeze in May, which had already caused significant damage to key crops like apples, berries, and grapes. State and federal programs and disaster relief, while vital, have covered only a portion of the losses, leaving the sector overall facing the prospect of a long and difficult recovery.
It is with these sobering realities in mind that the Future of Agriculture Commission reiterates its call to implement not just short-term disaster relief but also the critical sectoral initiatives outlined in its 2021 and 2022 reports, which are essential to enabling a vibrant, innovative, and resilient agricultural economy over the long term. Each of the outstanding staffing and funding requests in these reports is critical to building the agricultural sector for climate resiliency.
At the same time, the Commission recognizes that sustained progress on its priorities will require broader coordination and effort among stakeholders beyond state government. For this reason, the Commission has focused its deliberations over the past year on identifying actions or ideas that could advance its recommendations beyond legislative funding, through coalition-building, stakeholder outreach, partnerships, and alternative funding sources, among other approaches. The goal is to identify, within a handful of key areas, the kinds of initiatives where effective and coordinated cross-sectoral action among stakeholders could result in meaningful progress.
BIPOC Community Survey
from the Vermont Professionals of Color Network
This survey is for people who live in Vermont and identify as Black, Indigenous, or a Person of Color (BIPOC), whether born inside or outside of the United States. It will take about 15 minutes to finish.
Purpose: The Vermont Professionals of Color Network (VT PoC) wants to know what’s going well and what needs improvement for the BIPOC community in Vermont, especially when it comes to economic opportunities and building community. Your answers will help VT PoC understand how to support the BIPOC community across Vermont.
The survey will be asking about you, your experience in Vermont, your experience with existing resources in the state, VT PoC, and how you like to stay connected.
Prize Drawing: If you qualify for the survey and submit your response, you can enter to win one of 100 $100 gift cards to a BIPOC-owned business. You must finish a valid survey and share your email at the end. Your email won’t be connected to your answers, won’t be in any reports or publications, and won’t be shared or sold. One entry per individual. Drawing winners will be notified after August 31, 2024. Click here for complete Sweepstakes Terms.
Deadline. Please finish the survey by July 31, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. ET to be counted.
The Introduction to Social Location Training is a 3hr professional development opportunity designed to give participants space to explore key components of social justice pedagogy, including their personal histories and contexts in relation to themes of identity, intersectionality, and embedding that into their world view. This in- depth exploration also introduces participants to tangible tools they might use to deepen relationships with the very people they are tasked to work with–therefore creating the conditions to further solidify the collective resources needed to carry this work further.
Date: July 25th, 2024
Time: Two session options:
AM - 8:30am - 12:00pm
PM - 1:30pm - 5:00pm
Fee: FREE for the sessions, Food is $10 for Breakfast or Lunch.
Location: Coach Barn at Shelburne Farms
SAVE THE DATE: AUGUST 6, 2024
Community Leadership Summit
at Vermont State University Randolph
Come together on 8/6/24 with hundreds of community builders from across the state to build skills, capacity, and connections. This event will be an opportunity to dig into what it takes for a community to thrive – capacity, economic vitality, emergency preparedness, youth engagement, inclusion, engagement, and more – and will offer a diverse range of topics tailored to support and connect people in all aspects of local vitality and resilience. Through workshops, panels, and networking sessions, attendees will gain insights to drive local initiatives, build connections and resources, and exchange success stories and best practices. New this year are optional participation pathways which attendees can choose to follow: Climate Resilience and Long-term Recovery; Youth Leadership and Engagement; and Understanding and Solving Our Persistent Challenges. We hope you will join us! Visit vtrural.org/summit/ to find out more.
Seeking 2024 Farm to Plate Sponsors!
Farm to Plate is looking for new sponsors in 2024. This is a perfect marketing opportunity for small businesses, and it helps us pay for events like our Annual Gathering. Sponsorship levels start at $100 and depending on the level, come with logo recognition, advertisements in the e-news, and free registration to the Gathering.
Click here to learn more about our sponsor levels.
Interested in becoming a Vermont Farm to Plate sponsor?
Reach out to [email protected].
Visit and Post to the Farm to Plate Website
If you need help with web-related items, please reach out to [email protected].
NOTE: When updating your personal profile make sure you've selected "I want to be a Network Member" in your profile and select at least one Farm to Plate Network group to be a part of in order to be able to submit news, jobs, and events!
Farm to Plate Newsfeed
UVM Announces New Soil Health Research and Extension Center
Strengthening the Region's Food Supply Chain - Funding Opportunity
(Post a News Item Button will appear when you are logged into your user account.)
Food System Events and Workshops
June 20, virtual: Climate Action Plan Update: Kick-off Events
June 22, Waitsfield: Chef Farmers Market Tour
June 27, Johnson: Produce Farm & Warehouse Tour
July 13, Craftsbury: Craftsbury Antiques & Uniques
July 14, Cornwall: Land Care for Pollinators and Other Wildlife
August 4 - August 11, statewide: 10th Annual Vermont Open Farm Week
August 23, Wolcott: Salvation Farms Aid Dinner
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Food System Jobs
Cedar Circle Farm & Education Center, Full-Season Farmstand & Café Crew
Center for an Agricultural Economy, Just Cut Program Manager
Honey Field Farm, Multiple Positions Open
Intervale Center, ICN Stewarding Crew
Salvation Farms, Gleaning Coordinator
Northeast Organic Family Farm Partnership, Organic Brand Ambassador, Field Coordinator
Food Connects, Food Hub Fleet & Facilities Coordinator, Farm to School Sales Specialist, Food Hub Warehouse Coordinator, Food Hub Warehouse Coordinator (part-time), Food Hub Outside Sales Specialist, Regional Foods Specialist
Vermont Community Loan Fund, Business Advisor
Vermont Foodbank, Director of Strategic Giving, Operations Associate-Selector
Trenchers Farmhouse, Farm & Kitchen Team Member - Seed to Pasta!
Buffalo Mountain Food Co-op, Various Positions Open in Hardwick
Green Mountain Farm-to-School, AmeriCorps Farm-to-School Coordinator
(Post a Job Button will appear at the bottom of the calendar when you are logged into your user account. Note, if you need a job removed or updates, please contact [email protected].)
Is your Farm or Food Business listed on the
Farm to Plate Food System Map? Get Listed.
Vermont Farm to Plate | www.vtfarmtoplate.com | Join The Network
Sign Up for Small Bites
Would you like to stay in the know on food production, delivery, sales and global supply chain variables? Sign up for the F2P Small Bites eNews that goes out twice monthly.
Questions?
Contact: Annie Harlow
Vermont Food System News is published by the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund
3 Pitkin Court, Montpelier, VT 05602
Jake Claro, Farm to Plate Director
Jessica Poulin, Farm to Plate Network Assistant
Becka Warren, Food Security Roadmap Project Manager
Esther Erbe, Office Manager and Events Coordinator
Sydney Lucia, Grants and Fund Development Manager
Kelly Nottermann, Communications Director
Ellen Kahler, Executive Director
Copyright © 2024. All Rights Reserved.
Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund, 3 Pitkin Court, Suite 301E, Montpelier, VT 05602