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Hemp is a versatile annual crop and, according to UVM research, is well adapted to Vermont’s climate. In 2018, federal laws established hemp as a regulated agricultural commodity. That year...
Resources
Retail food stores, from village markets to food cooperatives (co-ops) to national chain supermarkets, are the primary sales outlet for Vermont farm and food businesses of all sizes and scales...
The market for beef labelled “grass-fed” has been growing quickly across the nation, from $17 million in 2012 sales to $272 million in 2016 sales. Adding value through a production...
Vermont has driven growth in the artisanal cheese industry over the last 40 years. Today there are a dozen Vermont goat cheese brands, including the number two national brand of...
Stories
The Rutland Area Farm and Food Link's Farm to Workplace farm share delivery program expanded the market for local farm foods beyond the typical localvore consumer. Most participants had never been part of a CSA before and a high percentage rarely go to farmers’ markets.
Perhaps long ago, in a simpler world, farmers needed only tools, the support of helping hands, a market for their products, and advice from their neighbors to successfully grow vegetables and raise animals. But farmers today need a lot more than that. Complex equipment, well-designed facilities, marketing skills, and a business plan are just some of what’s required for them to be truly “sustainable”: to thrive today in order to exist tomorrow.
Recently, the Mad River Valley’s Liz Lovely Cookies received the long sought after capital needed to grow the popular gluten free, vegan, and non-GMO cookie company located in Waitsfield.
The Farms Program, a nationally recognized farm business incubator, has supported the growth of dozens of farms since 1990.