Vermont Food System News

FEBRUARY 2017

Vermont's Farm to Plate food system plan (2011-2020) is being implemented statewide by the 350+ member organizations of the Farm to Plate Network to increase economic development and jobs in the farm and food sector and improve access to healthy local food for all Vermonters.

One of the strategic priorities being addressed over the next several years is to:

Protect and Expand Affordable and Environmentally Sustainable Farmland in Agricultural Production

Access to affordable and environmentally sustainable farmland is imperative to increase our local food supply and grow our agricultural economy. The Farm to Plate Network is creating strategic partnerships and tools to address a continuum of farmland access issues including farm succession planning, farmland conservation, and farmland investment, leasing, and matchmaking. The Network is also working to improve soil and water quality through research, monitoring, information sharing, and training.

Succession Planning

A recent Land For Good and American Farmland Trust study revealed nearly 30% of New England's farmers are likely to exit farming over the next decade, and nine out of 10 of those farmers do not have someone else ready to take the reins. The Farm to Plate Farmland Access & Stewardship and Production & Processing Working Groups are incorporating findings from the report and collaborating to:

Secure succession and retirement planning topics in upcoming farmer conferences and workshops;
Expand professional development and technical assistance to support multi-generational farm viability;
Help meet expanding demand for farm apprenticeship and internship programs.

Farmland Investment Models

Land For Good and UVM Extension, in conjunction with the Farm to Plate Farmland Access Task Force, examined farmland investor models offered in the Northeast by values-based investment companies. The findings are available in the report Farmland Investment Models: Innovative Land Access in New England which is summarized below in the feature story which explores how farmers working with farmland investment companies represents an innovative model for land access.

Farmland Access Task Force members plan to provide training to farm service providers on how to advise clients and to continue dialogue with investment companies as to how investment models can be used to provide farmland access financing along with conservation easements.

Farmland Conservation

The Vermont Land Trust and land conservation partners, such as the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board (VHCB) and the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS),

had another successful year of farm conservation, conserving 19 farm parcels and 3,286 acres

of farmland as of October 11, 2016. The portfolio of farms conserved to date has been impressive, representing the diversity of farming that Vermont's working landscape has to offer.

Land Link

The Farm to Plate Farmland Access Task Force has been helping to improve farmland listing and linking efforts on the Vermont Land Link website which serves as an online hub to connect farmers with available farmland. Members of the task force are also participating in the New England-wide " Land Access Project" to help farmers find and secure land. A Vermont Working Lands Grant supported task force members from UVM, Land For Good, Intervale Center, and Rutland Area Farm and Food Link (RAFFL) to coordinate education and training workshops for farm seekers.

Vermont Water Quality Network

Many Farm to Plate Network members are active in the Vermont Water Quality Network to intentionally link clean water to healthy soil and good food. Coordinated by ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, the Network brings together non-profit organizations, government agencies, businesses, and individuals and has formed five action teams working towards creating a culture of clean water in the state.