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There is enormous economic uncertainty. The USA is on a runaway train tied to global variables & Oval Office meetings. This issue touches on good things that come from building positive relationships that transfer into stronger community engagement.

There were many conversations the past two weeks, since the Feb 14 Small Bites. They led to excellent leads for this issue, but putting it all together has been a wild ride. Apologies for any typos, & for not having the mental space to include bites from all the chats. It became a tough week to focus & pull it all together. Sorting through I am balancing some of the bad with lots of good. Here we go...

NOFA Vermont, in partnership with the six regional sister chapters & MOFGA in Maine, has started collecting information from farmers about how they are being impacted by the recent federal funding freeze and executive orders. Here's a link to the form if you have a story to share: 

Northeast Farm Impacts from the Federal Funding Freeze and Executive Orders

Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility has compiled, & will continually update a database with events & resources that includes information on DEI, ICE & Immigration and Tariffs to support businesses in navigating recent federal policy actions.

CommonGood Vermont has a Resource & Updates page to aid nonprofits in navigating recent federal policy changes.

"Politics is the applied form of democracy. We are the leaders we have been waiting for.”-Robert Reich

Calling All Legislator Readers

We cover food production, delivery, sales, & global supply network variables to support viable regional food systems. Tell us what you are working on in your committees & share constituent pics, links, biz buzz, etc. In a world now fully crazy, let's share our good things! smallbites802 @ gmail .com

Read on for topics of interest across the farm & food economy as we navigate the wave of systemic upheaval impacting all sectors. 

1975 When a Small

Group Came Together

Here is some good news! 50 years ago, downtown Brattleboro met community needs by starting a consumer coop specializing in natural foods with a “shared value” ethos.

Way back then natural foods distribution was not the purview of publicly held companies. Organics were “homegrown” yet to become the behemoth billion-dollar industries. It was here that folks came together with a hands-on approach to purchasing food by starting as a collective.

A "large" (for the time!) distributor Erewhon then Northeast Coops, helped rural areas & small cities access natural foods. Local direct-to-store deliveries were standard with farmers’ fresh produce delivered in open pickup trucks (before food safety & cold chain were standard!)

Over the years the Coop has grown into a large cooperative retail store, utilizing truly large distributors, food hubs, small independent distributors, & many more DSD deliveries as our local food economy has grown to include all food categories. The commitment to building a professional staff in a long arc of change professionalized the sale of quality food and food access, while supporting expanded community engagement. Natural & organic products remain core the store's mission and culture. The Coop has represented the Farm to Plate Network as an integral part of Windham County. Congratulations for 50 years! Read more from local journalism partner, Brattleboro Reformer

Bordertown Business

Main Street Market MKT

In some senses the uncertainty & outrage experienced by us all is doubly impactful in Richford, VT. Located in a border town with Canada, Main Street Market a non-profit under the umbrella of a federally qualified healthcare center, NOTCH.

Their mission to offer a full-service store is part of its healthcare initiative. Right now, with federal cuts & tariff uncertainty dovetailed with Canadians responding by reducing American business , the store is working on all cylinders to meet the needs of its customers.

Notch & Main Street Market staff are truly on the front lines of the federal cuts. Staff is under immense pressure to keep both operations running in a time of unfathomable stress. The area is considered high priority receiving many social safety nets. The random federal funding cuts taking place will likely have a huge impact on the communities, and the individuals that rely on both the health center & the store. 

2025 The Year of Refining Community Values

Up in The Islands, a small but mighty store is meeting the needs of its community of food makers & artisans.

The Arbor Farm Market on the thorough fare in the heart of South Hero might be small, but its impact is broad & well established. Open eleven months out of the year, its shoppers know it holds a beat. It offers & steady inventory of local food & pantry staples. The Islands are not known as being the most convenient part of the state for building delivery routes, but Farm Connex delivers staple items ordered through Green Mountain Farm Direct.

Products are purchased & delivered direct from vendors right in their community, Wally's Bread & My Kid's Kitchen baked goods always draw customers in. The store is well stocked with local artisan crafts from jewelry to cards to gorgeous hand-spun, hand-knitted sweaters. The gift-inventory or hard-goods are a buffer to perishable products. It is common for our rural stores to offset their product mix with selection of gifts, body care, & branded promotional swag. Arbor has a great mix to meet its winter & its summer customer base.

Since the owners are also farmers, they close the entire month of March so they can undertake farm prep & chores. March is a busy month, just in a different way! 

Food Mutual Aid

Mutual aid is small scale & organized from within its own community, by people who understand what’s needed. -Civil Eats

These past 40 days have shown us that going forth communities will be stepping up filling roles once supported by government agencies & federal funding. This new america mandates that we take care of populations in new ways.

The "old general" store concept (still alive here) is the center, the third place that weaves the soul of towns together. Now more than ever, it is necessary for us to care for each other in new community-based ways.

“Saturday night town meals” were once a thing of Grange Halls & fundraisers will be retooled for mutual aide. Towns will enhance a sense of solidarity & provide hope with services. The Genny in Albany & Craftsbury already has a mutual aid community focused meal program helping those in need. Their philosophy engenders engagement & they feel a more pressing need in 2025.

Community meals programs are going to meet the many needs across our state including expanding support services helping farmworkers & farmers. Through our broad network Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund programming developed strategically over the past 20 years, Vermonters are well positioned to participate in this caring economy. There is a multiplier effect, as well as a positive emotional effect.

Check out the Civil Eats info on mutual aid.

Sharing & Caring Economy

The Just Cut program in Hardwick is a positive multiplier effect for mutual aid. It is an innovative social enterprise of the Center for an Agricultural Economy (CAE) that provides institutions & individuals direct access to high-quality, ready-to-use produce. The unique model connects the abundant yields of Vermont farms to food buyers of any scale. The food service pack sizes will be instrumental in cutting labor cuts to our food security-mutual aid kitchens. The Just Cut products are full circle: from our farmers to our communities through a group of committed people & supportive philanthropies.

High-quality produce from farms across the region are prepared in an FDA-certified commercial kitchen. Careful preparation, easy ordering process, & direct delivery helps save on labor costs while maximizing the nutrition, variety, & tastiness of meals. The prices, contracts, & transactions are clear, fair, & honest. Community based organizations will need this to assist in mutual aid meal prep.

Products are shipped through Farm Connex, the logistics arm of CAE which also ships products from Vermont food manufacturers. Next issue there will info on the move to the new warehouse in Hardwick! 

Butterworks Farm

Having changed ownership, the team at Butterworks is committed to continuing the organic legacy of Jack & Ann Lazor while addressing ongoing market channel challenges.

They have signed on with the Northeast Organic Family Farm Partnership taking advantage of the upcoming tradeshow support. This will help get in front of new potential buyers for their yogurt & top-of-the-line heavy cream.

Exceptional artisan yogurts, kefirs, buttermilk & delicious heavy cream come to you through their nurturing approach to the soil, pasture, crops & cows’ welfare. This results in the high-quality food, a continuation of forty years on the land & into stores in the northeast. 

Free Verse Farm

In the hills of central Vermont lies the Free Verse herb farm & farm store. They produce organic herbs sold wholesale through the food hub network which is integral to increasing our local food sales.

Most recently they hooked up with ACORN on the west side of the state. This relationship makes it easier to increase sales to stores on the ACORN route, while it also offers the farm a wider selection of buyers already purchasing from the Hub. With crossdocking in Middlebury independent distributors Pumpkin Village Foods & Lesser Distribution can also benefit from reaching stores on the Route 7 corridor. This is a proverbial win-win-win-win.

Mutual Aid Mutual Support

Vermonters are known for stepping in. Maybe all areas of country say this, we hear it often in our national tragedies. Last year when Sandy Bottom was vandalized, we, the greater farm & food community found ways to support the farm.

Rebop Farm experienced a recent devastating loss when their barn collapsed, killing one cow during the storm on February 16th. In a tragedy, the loss of any one animal hits home, yet farm work continues & immediate demand requires all hands-on deck. The farm loss extends to drying off cows, losing income from the dairy while still having to cover all the rearing costs of housing, feed, bedding, vet bills etc.

A Go Fund Me is in place for Small Bites readers to support them. 

In Ashlyn & Abrahan's words:

We spent yesterday pretty shattered about it, but also in emergency mode just trying to get the 55 sheep, 60 lambs and twelve cows out of the unstable shell of a barn in horrible weather. We were so lucky to have the help of neighbors and friends in so many ways- our neighbor helped Abraham cut beams and dig a trapped cow out of snow the night of, and others helped us stop traffic to walk sheep out on the icy main road, setting up a meal train, offered us leads on neighbor barn, setting up fundraisers and benefits and donating to the go fund me we set up to deal with the sort of unfathomable expense of building a second barn for the same animals in under five years. Our vet that we called to tend to, and sadly euthanize, the cow that was injured even shoveled off our milking parlor roof and let me cry on him at least twice.

2025 The Art of the Bad-Deal

There’s now an incredible amount of uncertainty about U.S. policies, policies that have a huge impact on both individual Americans and U.S. business. And this isn’t uncertainty about what will happen over the next few years, it’s acute uncertainty about what will happen in the next few weeks and months.- Paul Krugman

In a mere 40 days, there has been unprecedented upheaval impacting current & future decision making for businesses as they navigate increased anxiety. There is caution across all sectors of demographics, perhaps with one exception the billionaires.

Businesses are taught to plan for disruptions & to create contingencies to keep cash flowing through. But with the policy changes, the layoffs, firings across the federal government, the multiplier effect is already hitting the streets of rural, urban, & main street USA. Global instability will result from the Zelenskyy ambush in the Oval Office on February 28th. We have local economies in a global environment, with ties to geopolitics. Uncertainty as it will not be business as usual. 

Why does the craziness and erratic behavior matter? Uncertainty is a fact of life; predictions are hard, especially about the future. But the radical policy uncertainty we’re now facing takes things to another level, making it increasingly impossible for consumers and businesses to make long-term or even medium-term plans. why does the craziness and erratic behavior matter? Uncertainty is a fact of life; predictions are hard, especially about the future. But the radical policy uncertainty we’re now facing takes things to another level, making it increasingly impossible for consumers and businesses to make long-term or even medium-term plans. -Paul Krugman

Chainsaw: Cuts

to Federal Program

Under the Biden administration funding, was made possible through the federal American Rescue Plan Act. Block grants were awarded to every state via the Regional Food System Infrastructure grant program created to overcome challenges to regional food system supply chains. The covid pandemic put a spotlight on weaknesses in our food system & on rampant corporate consolidation across all aspects of our food system. The investment dollars were vital insurance to protect our supply chains during future pandemics & strengthening regional food production & distribution capacity while also creating jobs.

Money crossed many agricultural sectors, which means now, many businesses both direct & indirect are in a state of upheaval with multiplier effects. Currently, federal legislators are powerless to overturn the Musk Chainsaw Massacre. We are starting 2025 on a rough road, with more deleterious impacts to come to light. 

2025 Store Support Services & The VT Grocers Project

The Grocers Project will continue to work to provide opportunities for stores to meet their community needs because community matters & because running small solo food stores & farmstands is hard enough without the disastrous first days of Musk-Trump.

Later this year we will be offering online, Farmers as Retailers periodic one-offs with dedicated topics. A pilot series designed for small inde stores will tackle topical issues associated with rural demographics. A reminder that in-store services are offered utilizing a team of consultants to address specific concerns for stores.

Reach out if you are interested drop an email to smallbites802 @ gmail.com

Sisters in Food

Two rocking women are nailing farming & developing business acumen while building farm enterprises. One makes cheese from the family cow herd, the other a poultry producer, running a farm store, & smoking meats & cheese.

Ember & Nicky might as well be sisters. Nicky owns & runs Bridport Creamery selling her curds throughout the North East through Provisions International. Ember, is one of the trio running the Happy Bird Farm operation in Isle LaMott. The two met up & became a powerhouse duo sharing ideas & their love of farming! The talk became action where the cheesemaker partners with the smoker for a wonderful new products currently available at the Happy Bird Farm store.

Where Margins Matter

"Managing & Calculating Margins through a Specialty Supply Chain," is an online course through the VT Cheese Council, the taught by Zoe Brickley of Jasper Hill Farm. Her style & knowledge are spot on.

This course is geared to food producers of all stripes, farmers, cheesemakers, retailers, & anyone interested in fundamental business skills. The 2025 Business Miniversity series includes nine weekly 90-minute sessions on leadership, management, finances & margins, strategy, marketing, & more!

Wednesdays from 12:00-1:30pm ET from March 5 to April 30; all are virtual & recorded for later watching (for a limited time). Registration is $100 for the entire series.

Visit vtcheese.com/bmini for the complete session listing & to register. 

Partnerships Matter

in This Fragile Time

From Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility:

VBSR acknowledges the tremendous impact current threats & actions are having on Vermont's businesses, communities, & economy.

From tariffs & the prospect of ICE raids, to the potential loss of information security, government contracts, basic human services, & federal funding for LGBTQ+ rights, environmental protection, DEI, & refugee support, recent federal policy actions have created a climate of fear, anxiety, & uncertainty.

We also recognize the importance of clear information & calculated responses to diffuse the chaos & minimize the disruption to our lives and livelihoods. Keep abreast & join VBSR

The Chaos Economy of 2025

With mass "layoffs" at the government level & for workers across many industries where funds have been paused or eliminated, we will have the Reagan "trickle down effect" in reverse. Money will not be spent & businesses across the board will be damaged. Boycotts of US made products in Canada are underway. The treatment of our close allies & neighbors is being closely watched. Many Vermont companies working with Canadian vendors or as buyers, are navigating the daily uncertainty.

The world paid attention to the lashing in the White House by Trump & Vance. Allies are revisiting their positions with the US. Added to that, March 4^th decisions are yet to be made around tariffs on Canadian & Mexican products. The "tariff situation" will no doubt have a deleterious multiplier effect as governments around the globe decide to develop trade relations outside the US.

What lies ahead is the unknown influence on global trade; this will absolutely impact ingredients & product supply sourcing across our interconnected industries. With the safeguards being removed across all sectors, it is another the farm, food, retail, & social services space are nervous.

Regional NE Partnerships

Supporting Each Other

Maine Food Convergence is building its alliances with ongoing programs to support the local & regional farm & food economy. Much like our Farm to Plate Network, it creates spaces where people working on food, land, & climate issues explore collaborative solutions to complex problems. Working to grow community & deepen relationships for collective action they welcome others join them on May 29th in Jefferson, Maine.

Post your event or explore the Events page at Farm to Plate



Looking for Local?

Hub Partners

Vermont Farmers Food Center

Green Mountain Farm Direct

ACORN Food Hub 

Farm Connex

Intervale Food Hub

VT Roots

Food Connects

Other Partners



Lesser Distribution

Pumpkin Village Foods

Killam Sales

Provisions International

Myers Produce

Wilcox

Marty's Local

Upper Valley Produce 

Monument Farms 

Performance Food Group DBA as BRP

Business Support Services

VSJF offers business management coaching, entrepreneurial support, & training to position Vermont entrepreneurs for growth & long-term success. Explore the possibilities!

Farm to Plate's events/news/jobs page is a go-to list to connect & learn. Check it out regularly & share your good stuff too! Ooddles of updates that can include agroforestry, women farmer summits, butchering seminars, staffing news, & so much more.

Special Thanks: Peter, Becca & Bernie!

Lilah @ ACORN, Anthony @ Butterworks, Ember @ Happy Bird, NOFA, Main Street Market, Lexi & Alisha @ Arbor Market, Yarrow & Colleen @ CAE, The Green Mt Farm Direct team

Created with gratitude for the support from the Canaday Family Charitable Trust 

Small Bites comes to you via incredibly valuable grants.

We directly support the New England State Food System Planners Partnership effort to strengthen the regional food economy.

Contact: Annie Harlow

smallbites802@gmail.com

All info is subject to change. One small bite at a time.