Local Food in Practice: Restaurant & Farm Partnerships is a free event series produced in partnership with the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets. 

The series is designed for Vermont farmers and restaurant professionals who want to build stronger, more effective working relationships around local sourcing for the restaurant market channel.

“Sometimes things are a mess, and you have to get help from your friends.” 

–Ira Wallace at the 2026 NOFA-VT Winter Conference

NOFA-VT is hosting a series of in-person member gatherings around the state throughout the month of April, creating opportunities to strengthen our local communities while connecting over a meal in this time of rupture.

The mission of the Tri-State Dairy Team is to unite Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont in advancing dairy management through collaborative educational programs, addressing shared industry challenges, and fostering innovation across northern New England.

6-week online Communication & Facilitation Professional Development for anyone who facilitates or convenes community engagement, group conversations and gatherings, programs, team meetings, organizational change, or planning processes. Experiential somatic, shared learning experience offered by Rae Carter of EmpowR Transformation 

Learn more & register: https://empowr-transformation.com/events/facilitation-training-course/

Vermont Cheese Council invites you to our 2026 Artisan Cheesemakers Conference on Friday, May 1st. Storytelling is the theme of this year’s conference, with in-person all-day programming. While content is specifically geared toward cheesemakers, it’s open to all: makers, mongers, chefs, retailers, industry folk, and food producers of all flavors!

The VSFA Producer Expo is a high-impact, business-to-business trade event designed to bring Vermont’s specialty food and beverage community together under one roof. On May 4th, producers, buyers, distributors, retailers, and industry leaders will gather in Montpelier for an afternoon dedicated to product discovery, procurement, and meaningful connection. This new event is more than a trade show, it’s a marketplace of ideas, innovation, and opportunity.

Gather with Us at the Food Hub!

This spring, ACORN is opening our loading docks and rolling up our bay doors to welcome our community and offer a sneak peek behind the scenes of the local food system we're building. 

Join us on Monday, May 4, from 4:00 pm-6:00 pm at the Food Hub in Middlebury for light refreshments, conversation, and connection. Registration is highly encouraged! The event is free to attend, and all are welcome. We can't wait to see you!

Vermont Farmers Food Center (VFFC) invites the community to celebrate the start of the growing season at its Spring Fest on Friday, May 8, 2026, from 5:00 to 8:00 PM at VFFC’s Farmers Hall at 251 West Street in Rutland.

Join us at Shelburne Farms for a thoughtful conversation exploring how food, culinary traditions and sharing meals with one another can foster a deeper connection to place and support the building of a food system grounded in resilience and care. In a globalized world, a "sense of place" can often feel lost. Whether it is the ancient wheat fields of rural Sicily or the dairy pastures of the Champlain Valley, our food systems are the strongest threads connecting us to our environment.

A new application period for VT PFP will be available for farmers summer 2026. Join Otter Creek NRCD, UVM Extension, and VAAFM for a workshop on the program & application process. We'll provide the new updates on what's different, and answer questions about eligibility, applications, record collection, and if it's a good fit for your farm. Otter Creek NRCD can also provide application assistance. 

On Friday May 22nd from 3:00pm-6:00pm we'll be celebrating the start of the 2026 farmers market season and helping kick off Hardwick's annual SPRINGFEST event at Atkins Field and you're invited!

Here's what to expect:
- Lots of amazing local food from our farmers market vendors
- A farm & garden expo (featuring a Grow Your Own station!)
- Yard games (corn hole, yard yahtzee, jumbo jenga?!
- Kids activities (including face painting)
- Food trucks & cocktails
- Great live music!

This two-day training provides participants with the knowledge and practical skills to responsibly apply pesticides in compliance with Vermont regulations. The course expands upon initial pesticide certification training to offer additional hands-on learning and in-depth discussion to help participants prepare for certification or earn 9 continuing education credits. 

Come tour a socio-ecological reconciliation project at Shelburne Farms, via critical source area to watershed outlet, aimed to mitigate phosphorus pollution, increase pollinator habitat, facilitate Abenaki land access, and foster local ecoliteracy.  Hear about the 7 year pilot and three year next-level project investigating mycorrhizal fungi's role in expediting plants' phosphorus uptake and restored polyculture habitat's biodiversity.