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Brattleboro parade and festival highlight local farmers and local food

Not "crowd-sourced" but "community-sourced" this revolving loan fund passes a significant mark for Vermont's agricultural economy.

ACORN’s 11th annual Tour de Farms, one of Vermont’s oldest cycling farm tours, will be held Sunday, September 16th in Vergennes, Vt. This is the first time the annual bike ride will be staged in Vergennes. The new route will follow 30 miles of rolling hills and backcountry roads through the Champlain Valley’s quintessential pastoral landscape. There is also a shorter, kid-friendly 10-mile route for those who prefer a more relaxed adventure.

This summer the Red Clover Inn & Restaurant will host “Meet the Maker” cocktail dinners, presented in partnership with three Vermont distillers. In each event, the crafters from a Vermont distillery will present their process, work, and ethics, while guests enjoy three handcrafted cocktails, paired with a four-course chef’s menu prepared with the freshest ingredients.

In just 18 months, the thirteen entrepreneurs participating in Windham Grows have grown to add nearly 30 employees and received hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding.

Windham Grows has established itself as the leading food/agriculture business accelerator in the region. If you want to scale up your food or agriculture business, Windham Grows could be a great option with proven results.

Windham Grows is accepting applications for it’s next cohort, which will begin in late June 2018 and run through early December 2018. To learn more, go to http://windhamgrows.org/curriculum/

In partnership with Center for an Agricultural Economy and Northeastern Vermont Development Association, the Town of Hardwick is announcing its plans for a business accelerator and manufacturing hub!

The Vermont Fresh Network has launched a new program to help chefs, farmers, food producers and others working in our local food system attend important conferences beyond our region. Applications are now open to support attending Slow Food Nations in Denver, CO, this summer.

Gleaning organization forms new Board and plans for continuing growth

Community Harvest of Central Vermont (CHCV), a community based volunteer driven food recovery organization, recently received official recognition as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization from the IRS. As part of their transition to an official non-profit, CHCV named a new Board of Directors.

Ever get frustrated about the disconnect between farmers and consumers? Do you know what to say when you are faced with someone questioning the industry that you love? As a dairy farmer, you are in the driver’s seat to help create positive interactions with the public. How? By inviting people to your farm to show them firsthand what you do and why you do it.

Local business Vermont Tortilla Company has been named a winner of The 2018 American Small Business Championship by SCORE, the nation’s largest network of volunteer, expert business mentors. The Championship awarded this title to 102 entrepreneurs for their dedication to the success of their small businesses, awarding them an all-expense-paid trip to a training and networking event, SCORE mentoring and publicity throughout the year, and a chance to win one of three $15,000 grand prizes, made possible with the support of Sam’s Club.