Vermont Meat Processing Task Force Featured as Case Study in USDA-ERS Meat Processing Report
Vermont's F2P Meat Processing Task Force is featured as a case study in a recent report published by USDA-ERS on establishing the long term viability of local meat and poultry processing.
Read More Vermont Working Lands Initiative Awards Final 16 Grants, Worth $750,000
Governor Peter Shumlin, Agriculture, Food & Markets Secretary Chuck Ross, Commerce & Community Development Secretary Lawrence Miller, Forests, Parks & Recreation Commissioner Michael Snyder and the Working Lands Enterprise Board announced the final grant recipients from the Service Provider and Capital and Infrastructure areas of the Working Lands Enterprise Fund, awarding more than $750,000 to 16 grantees representing sectors across agriculture, forestry and forest products.
Read More Food Chain Workers and Their Working Conditions in VT
New report sheds light on the many issues faced by food system workers in Vermont.
Read More Flex Fund Borrowers Featured on Mark Johnson Show
Are you interested in "slow money" or royalty financing for your food system business? The Mark Johnson Show featured 4 Flexible Capital Fund borrowers describing their experiences.
Read More Robot Milkers!
Inside the barn at Farr Farm in Richmond, dairy cows with full udders line up to be milked throughout the day and night, but there’s nobody there to milk them.
Read More Hemp Law May Give Farmers New Opportunities
Vermont lawmakers last month gave final approval to a bill that would legalize the cultivation of hemp.
Read More New Burlington Free Press Article on GMOs
"From Maine to Washington, a growing number of states are taking on the issue of genetically engineered foods, fanning the flames of a decades-old debate about whether these organisms — often called GMOs — are dangerous to human health."
Read More New York On Farm Cooling Grant - June 14 Deadline
On Farm Cooling Grant available - Cornell Cooperative Extension is once again making farmers aware of a NYS grant for building a cooling space on their farm. Enough grant funds have been obtained to fund up to 60 farms with a 50/50 match program up to $3000. Deadline June 14.
Read More Food Safety Grants for Ag-Infrastructure Businesses
The Vermont Farm Viability Program is holding its 4th round of grant funding for agricultural infrastructure businesses since 2009. This funding is specifically geared towards businesses processing, storing, aggregating, or distributing local food that need capital for food safety improvements.
Read More Vermont Fresh Network Chefs Featured in Burlington Free Press
At Vermont Fresh Network, a nonprofit that assists and promotes relations between chefs and farmers, executive director Meghan Sheradin says there's a growing interest among chefs to grow their own vegetables. Restaurant gardens range from small herb plots to on-campus farms.
Read More Blue Spruce Farm Adds Wind Turbine
A local family farm that was the first to embrace cow power in the state is pairing up with Green Mountain Power again for another energy initiative.
Read More Breaking the Grass Ceiling: On U.S. Farms, Women are Taking the Reins
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service reported last month that the number of woman-operated farms more than doubled between 1982 and 2007. Add primary and secondary operators, and there are nearly 1 million women in farming, accounting for 30 percent of U.S. farmers.
Read More
