VHCB’s Vermont Farm & Forest Viability Program Awards Nearly $1 Million to 30 Dairy and Livestock Farms for Water Quality Improvements
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).
Read More GMFTS Receives Grant to Deliver Local Food to Craftsbury and Albany Food Share Programs
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.
Read More Food Connects Builds Food Security Alongside Economic Recovery and Resiliency
Food Connects continues to grow despite COVID food supply chain disruption, proving the value of local food systems for resiliency and economic recovery.
Read More Black River Innovation Campus Announces Scholarship Program That Teaches Rural Residents New Digital Skills
“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.”
Read More Food Connects Hires New Farm to School Coordinator
Food Connects is excited to welcome Michelle Pinter-Petrillo to their team as their new Farm to School Coordinator. Michelle is the third Farm to School team member and will support Farm to School teams in the Windham Northeast Supervisory Union, Windham Central Supervisory Union, and Springfield School District.
Read More Windham Grows Farm & Food Business Accelerator Accepting Applications for BIPOC-focused 2020-2021 Cohort
In the interest of creating equity in our food systems, and our continuing work to incorporate long-silenced voices of Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) farmers and food-producers in our programming, our next Windham Grows cohort will be made up of BIPOC farmers and food entrepreneurs.
Read More Everyone Eats! Brattleboro receives boost in funding
Everyone Eats! Brattleboro (EE!B)—a restaurant stimulus and community food program—will continue through the end of 2020 thanks to a $654,210 grant from the state. The program brings nutritional relief, care, and comfort to the community and vital financial support to local restaurants.
Read More A Force to Be Reckoned With: Womxn in VT's Food System Webinar Series
Join ShiftMeals for a six-part free webinar series highlighting the intersectional experiences of Womxn and Femmes in all facets of the Vermont food system, from seed to hands. Presented by City Market, A Force To Be Reckoned With honors those most affected by the Covid-19 crisis by bringing together powerful Womxn and Femme farmers, leaders, organizers, and activists. We are creating a space for collaboration, discussion, and visions for a more resilient food system in Vermont.
Read More Vermont Agricultural Water Quality Partnership (VAWQP) Highlights Gains for Clean Water
As National Water Quality Month comes to an end, the Vermont Agricultural Water Quality Partnership (VAWQP) celebrates the progress that has been made in protecting Vermont’s water quality, while looking forward to water quality improvements yet to be accomplished. The leadership of the VAWQP is encouraged by data indicating measurable results in water quality improvement, thanks to farmer efforts and a strong conservation commitment from the partnership.
Read More Vermont USDA Stands Up New Team to Better Serve Beginning Farmers
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is standing up a new team that will lead a department-wide effort focused on serving beginning farmers and ranchers.To institutionalize support for beginning farmers and ranchers and to build upon prior agency work, the 2018 Farm Bill directed USDA to create a national coordinator position in the agency and state-level coordinators for four of its agencies – Farm Service Agency (FSA), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Risk Management Agency (RMA), and Rural Development (RD).
Read More Farmacy Project, the food-as-medicine program of the Vermont Farmers Food Center, expands to six distribution sites in Rutland county.
VFFC’s Farmacy Project, now in its sixth year, has added four new sites in the further areas of the county for pick-up this summer for a total of 6 distribution sites. The Farmacy Project focuses on the intersection of community health and local agriculture with fresh produce grown exclusively by Rutland farmers given to individuals as “medicine” for chronic diet-related conditions by their healthcare providers.
Read More Vermont Entity Receives $300,000 USDA Urban Agriculture Grant to Support New Americans
Association of Africans Living in Vermont (AALV) to provide nearly 70 households with garden plots for New Americans
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