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Sodexo, a food services and facilities management company committed to Quality of Life, announced today that the company received an Outstanding Case Study Award at the Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council’s (SPLC) national Summit in Portland, Oregon for Sodexo’s Vermont First initiative. Through Vermont First, Sodexo works with farmers, distributors, processors, state government, non-profits and supply chain players to increase the amount of local food grown and sold in the state and beyond.

Last year, 215 volunteers contributed more than 950 hours with Salvation Farms, serving 19 farms and 31 food programs in the Lamoille Valley and beyond. From arugula to apples, tomatoes to turnips, 70,166 pound (more than 210,500 servings) of Vermont-grown crops were gathered and shared. Salvation Farms provides this service free of charge to farms and to the sites receiving produce.

On Saturday, June 22nd, more than 1,000 visitors flocked to Maxwell’s Neighborhood Farm in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom. The Newport dairy farm was packed as guests enjoyed a Vermont-inspired pancake breakfast and took a self-guided tour of the 1,000 cow dairy farm. In its fifth year, Vermont Breakfast on the Farm aims to connect the public with hard-working dairy farming families like the Maxwell’s – who produce wholesome dairy, care for their cows, and protect and maintain the working-landscapes of Vermont.

The Vermont Community Loan Fund, a nonprofit, alternative, 501 (c)3, mission-driven lender benefiting lower-wealth Vermonters, made loans totaling $522,000 to Vermont’s small businesses including multiple food and farms enterprises throughout the state.

Seeking a consultant or firm to perform market research on the demand for Vermont grown grain in the Northeast.

Research published examining data on non-farming landowners, farmers who own and lease land, and farmworkers. They found significant racial/ethnic disparities when it comes to representation, land, and money.

The Addison County Relocalization Network launches the first Farmacy Project in Addison County, a food prescription program intended to combat food related and other chronic illnesses.

At the 3rd Annual Southern Vermont Economic Development Summit, I hosted a panel exploring the value of tech within the rural economy and the many ways that it is impacting our communities. I’m compelled to share this experience with a wider audience.

The Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont (NOFA-VT) is pleased to announce Grace Oedel will be leading the organization as its new Executive Director, starting July 1, 2019.

2019 Farm to Plate Network Annual Gathering Theme: At The Crossroads: Our Food and Farm Culture and Economy. Request for proposals extended to July 12, 2019. For session format, we’re looking to create a balance between explorative deep dives, skills-based workshops, and knowledge-based presentations of findings “from the field”.