Description
In 2009 the Vermont Legislature tasked the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund (VSJF) with administering the Farm to Plate Investment Program (10 V.S.A. § 330), to “create a strategic plan for agricultural and food system development, which may be periodically reviewed and updated.” The Farm to Plate Network formed in 2011, and set about implementing the first statewide Farm to Plate Strategic Plan. We came together out of a love for good food, strong communities, and our working landscape, to intentionally support the farmers, food entrepreneurs, and farm and food workers who provide nutritious, delicious food for us all.
Over the past ten years, Vermont’s food system economic output expanded 48%, from $7.5 billion to $11.3 billion, which includes $3 billion (26.5%) from food manufacturing—Vermont’s second-largest manufacturing industry. The food system added 6,560 net new jobs (11.3% increase), and more than 64,000 Vermonters were directly employed by over 11,500 farms and food-related businesses. Local food purchases rose from $114 million (5%) to $310 million (13.9%) of the total $2.2 billion spent on food in the state annually, and Vermont farms sold $781 million worth of product per year.
Recognizing the success of the first Plan and the continued importance of agriculture and food to Vermont’s economy, environment, and culture, the Vermont Legislature and Governor Scott reauthorized the Farm to Plate Investment Program in 2019.
Resources in this Collection
The Vermont Agriculture and Food System Strategic Plan
Vermont Agriculture and Food System Strategic Plan 2021-2030
The Plan contains a vision for Vermont's food system in 2030, 15 strategic goals, and 34 priority strategies. It is based on a series of 54 food system product, market, and issue briefs highlighting current conditions, bottlenecks and gaps, opportunities, and recommendations.
Vermont Agriculture and Food System Strategic Plan (smaller file)
This file does not include the 54 product, market, and issue briefs, which are available separately.
Table of Priority Strategies with Source Reference
This table, which is also contained in the Supplemental Materials of the Plan, documents the relationships between briefs and the…
Product Briefs
Vermont Food System Plan Product Brief: Agroforestry
Vermont’s 4.465 million acres of forest cover around 73% of its territory. If we are to address the critical moment…
Vermont Food System Plan Product Brief: Apples
Apples in Vermont are behind only dairy and maple in total annual crop value. Since the 1990s, Vermont’s share of…
Vermont Food System Plan Product Brief: Beer
In 2019, Vermont’s 68 breweries had $366 million in economic impact. Vermont brewers capture international accolades and are a powerful…
Vermont Food System Plan Product Brief: Bees and Honey
The pollination services of wild and managed bees are critical for the production of our food crops. However, managed and…
Vermont Food System Plan Product Brief: Bread
Vermont is well-known for its bakeries, from artisanal bakeries to nationally distributed brands. Finding locally grown grains that are suitable…
Vermont Food System Plan Product Brief: Cheese
Vermont boasts more state-inspected cheese producers per capita than any other state in the nation — close to one cheese…
Vermont Food System Plan Product Brief: Compost
Critical goals are achieved when food scraps, manure, and other organic materials are removed from the waste stream and transformed…
Vermont Food System Plan Product Brief: Dairy
For generations, Vermont has been defined by dairy, an industry that has an economic impact of $2.2 billion annually and…
Vermont Food System Plan Product Brief: Eggs
Farm-fresh eggs have long been a popular choice for consumers looking to support local farms, and an inexpensive source of…
Vermont Food System Plan Product Brief: Food Grade Grains
Consumers are concerned about where their food comes from, yet may not realize that the majority of local grain-based products…
Vermont Food System Plan Product Brief: Goats
Vermont has driven growth in the artisanal cheese industry over the last 40 years. Today there are a dozen Vermont…
Vermont Food System Plan Product Brief: Grapes
Grapes and wine are a fledgling industry in Vermont with great economic potential and a growing reputation for quality. Grape…
Vermont Food System Plan Product Brief: Grass-Fed Beef
The market for beef labelled “grass-fed” has been growing quickly across the nation, from $17 million in 2012 sales to…
Vermont Food System Plan Product Brief: Hemp
Hemp is a versatile annual crop and, according to UVM research, is well adapted to Vermont’s climate. In 2018, federal…
Vermont Food System Plan Product Brief: Hops
There is an opportunity to diversify local agriculture given the large number of Vermont entrepreneurs producing, and consumers purchasing, agricultural…
Vermont Food System Plan Product Brief: Lightly Processed Vegetables
Vermont institutions, hunger relief organizations, restaurants, and food retailers are limited in the amount of fresh, whole Vermont produce they…
Vermont Food System Plan Product Brief: Maple
The Vermont maple sector is experiencing rapid growth in production and product innovation while holding a leadership role in maple…
Vermont Food System Plan Product Brief: Meat: Slaughter, Processing, and Products
It is critical to support Vermont’s slaughter and processing industries in order for Vermont’s 3,6001 livestock and 256 poultry producers…
Vermont Food System Plan Product Brief: Poultry
The United States poultry meat industry is one of the most concentrated in the food system, with four poultry companies…
Vermont Food System Plan Product Brief: Produce
Significant challenges are on the horizon for more than 1,000 produce farms that add diversity and innovation to Vermont’s agricultural…
Vermont Food System Product Brief: Sheep
Sheep and their products – meat, milk, and fiber — were Vermont’s first agricultural commodity and still have a significant…
Vermont Food System Plan Product Brief: Specialty Foods
Vermont specialty foods are an important subset of the state’s overall value-added product market. Food manufacturing is the second-largest manufacturing…
Vermont Food System Plan Product Brief: Spirits
The Vermont distilled spirits industry is little more than 20 years old and has an outsized impact on Vermont’s identity…
Vermont Food System Plan Product Brief: Swine
Sales of heritage, local, pastured, organic, and/or managed outdoor pork in Vermont grew 396% between 2002 and 2017 to $1.86…
Market Briefs
Vermont Food System Plan Market Brief: College and Hospital Procurement
Colleges and universities, hospitals, and other health care facilities have a significant role to play in supporting Vermont’s farm and…
Vermont Food System Plan Market Brief: Direct Markets
Over a quarter of Vermont farms (1,833) sell directly to consumers through farmers markets, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), and other…
Vermont Food System Plan Market Brief: Distribution
Distribution encompasses how Vermont farms and food manufacturers get products to consumers in the state and region. Without a robust…
Vermont Food System Plan Market Brief: Grocers
Retail food stores, from village markets to food cooperatives (co-ops) to national chain supermarkets, are the primary sales outlet for…
Vermont Food System Plan Market Brief: Major Metropolitan Markets
Vermont currently has 6,800 farms and 1.2 million acres in agricultural production, with a farm-gate value of roughly $781 million…
Metropolitan Markets Map
This map was generated by the VAAFM in support of the Major Metropolitan Markets brief.
Vermont Food System Plan Market Brief: Restaurants
From mom-and-pop diners to high-end establishments, restaurants play a key role in shaping the way consumers eat and think about…
Vermont Food System Plan Market Brief: School Food Procurement
Teaching Vermont students the value of Vermont food for both their own health and their community is an investment in…
Issue Briefs
Vermont Food System Plan Issue Brief: Access to Capital
Properly capitalized farms and food businesses are critical for a healthy food system. Food system businesses need different kinds of…
Food System Financing Inventory
A listing of capital providers who help to finance farm and food businesses, including debt, equity, and royalty financing, as well as various grant programs.
Vermont Food System Plan Issue Brief: Agricultural and Food Literacy
Agricultural literacy and food literacy are important because increased knowledge of agriculture and food can help Vermonters make informed choices,…
Vermont Food System Plan Issue Brief: Agricultural Literacy, K-12
Almost everything we eat, wear, or use comes from a plant or animal on a farm, but we are losing…
Vermont Food System Plan Issue Brief: Agriculture and Food Policy
Public policy is generally described as a system of laws, regulatory measures, courses of action, and funding priorities concerning a…
Vermont Food System Plan Issue Brief: Agritourism
Agritourism is a promising sub-sector of Vermont’s agricultural economy, encompassing direct-to-consumer sales of local food (e.g., farm stands, pick-your-own), agricultural…
Vermont Food System Plan Issue Brief: Alternative Land Ownership and Access Models
Vermont will have a substantial transfer of agricultural land over the next decade. Prioritizing creative approaches to farmland ownership and…
Vermont Food System Plan Issue Brief: Business and Technical Assistance
Water quality regulations, market changes, low farm gate prices, and increased competition are all challenging the profitability and future viability…
Vermont Food System Plan Issue Brief: Child Care
Child care is fundamental to household economics, and therefore farm economics. Farmers with children must continuously negotiate access to affordable…
Vermont Food System Plan Issue Brief: Climate Change
Vermont will face considerable disruption to the local food system and farm profitability and viability because of climate change.1 In…
Vermont Food System Plan Issue Brief: Consumer Demand
Consumer demand for local, organic, and specialty foods have surged over the last ten years, helping Vermont’s agricultural vitality. As…
Vermont Food System Plan Issue Brief: Farmland Conservation
Over the past 40 years, Vermont made substantial investment and progress in farmland conservation, permanently conserving 15-20% of the state’s…
Vermont Food System Plan Issue Brief: Food Access and Farm Viability
All Vermont residents should have access to nutritious local foods they can afford, and Vermont farms should all be profitable.…
Vermont Food System Plan Issue Brief: Food Security
“Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious…
Vermont Food System Plan Issue Brief: Health Care
Access to physical and mental health care is directly connected to farm viability and quality of life. Health care costs…
Vermont Food System Plan Issue Brief: Labor and Workforce
Vermont’s farm and food economy gained 742 net new businesses between 2010-2017, and economic output expanded 48% from $7.5 billion…
Vermont Food System Plan Issue Brief: Land Use Planning
Land use planning is an important tool for aligning settlement patterns and natural resource management with Vermont residents’ values. Community-level…
Vermont Food System Plan Issue Brief: Marketing
Over the past 20 years, the local food category evolved from an emerging to a maturing market. In a mature…
Vermont Food System Plan Issue Brief: Payment for Ecosystem Services
Ecosystem services are the “ecosystem functions that are useful to humans.” Agricultural landscapes in Vermont can be managed to enhance…
Vermont Food System Plan Issue Brief: Racial Equity in the Vermont Food System
Vermont must work towards racial equity in its food system in order to make the food system truly sustainable for…
Vermont Food System Plan Issue Brief: Succession
At a time when Vermont farms are facing downturns in prices and markets — and most are challenged to be…
Vermont Food System Plan Issue Brief: Supporting Future Farmers
Vermont is facing a dramatic shift in the agricultural sector due to economic and demographic changes. The key to the…
Vermont Food System Plan Issue Brief: Tax and Legal Services
The tax and legal issues confronting existing and new farm businesses, new farm-based food enterprises, and farms in transition to…
Vermont Food System Plan Issue Brief: Water Quality
Our challenge is to find a path forward in Vermont agriculture that allows for food production while protecting water quality.…
2020 VAAFM Report (Part 1 of Briefs)
Vermont Agriculture and Food System Plan 2020
Section 1 of Act 83 (S.160), an act relating to agricultural development, calls for the development of this report with recommendations to stabilize and revitalize Vermont’s agricultural industry.
The Vermont Agriculture and Food System Strategic Plan
Vermont Agriculture and Food System Plan Briefs End Notes
Contains end notes and data citations for all product, market, and issue briefs.
