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Weigh in on ag and food educational program transformation planning at VT Tech.

Food Connects will host the first Taste of Food Connects from November 1 to 21. This event brings together over 90 local businesses throughout the Windham County and Monadnock Regions to celebrate our vibrant local economy. This unique event is part Local Passport, benefitting local businesses, and part Silent Auction, supporting Food Connects’ annual fund.

In the third quarter of 2020, the Vermont Community Loan Fund loaned $384,807 to Vermont's small family farms, food and forest industry entrepreneurs and others, saving and creating Vermont jobs and boosting the state's economy.

11.3% of farmwork in Vermont is accomplished by seasonal H-2A Temporary Visa farmworkers, a majority of whom are Jamaican—an estimated 400 individuals. Established in 1986 as part of the Immigration Reform and Control Act, the H-2A Visa Program allows agricultural businesses in the U.S. to hire temporary foreign workers for seasonal positions that they would have otherwise been unable to fill with domestic workers.

The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Vermont announced that November 20, 2020, is the next cut-off date to apply for fiscal year 2021 conservation program assistance through the Agricultural Management Assistance Program (AMA) and the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP).

The Vermont Artisan Village continues to provide flexible spaces for thriving artisan producers, and we invite more culinary artisans to join our community. If you want to move your food business forward, now is the time to contact us.

The Vermont Farm & Forest Viability Program, a program of the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board, awarded a total of $956,000 to 30 farms in Addison, Caledonia, Chittenden, Franklin, Orange, Orleans, Rutland, Washington, and Windham Counties to support capital investments that improve water quality. Some of these awards will also support businesses in their recovery from the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. These grants leveraged an additional $3.1 million for capital improvement projects, including farmer investment, bank loans, and grant funding from the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets (VAAFM).

The Green Mountain Fund of the Vermont Community Foundation has awarded a $5,000 grant to Green Mountain Farm-to-School (GMFTS) to support the purchase and delivery of local food for the Craftsbury and Albany food share program.

Food Connects continues to grow despite COVID food supply chain disruption, proving the value of local food systems for resiliency and economic recovery.

“Especially during this uncertain time, we hope to reach learners from all backgrounds, whether they are young adults looking to build technical skills or established workers exploring a potential career change. The digital tech economy is the fastest growing industry in this country, and rural workers are underrepresented—we want to change that.”