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Our ode to joy sunshine this week bodes well as farm & food intersecting businesses & organizations navigate significant federal impacts.

The sun provides the energy to shift farm-based projects. It also has made our rural roads more passable (ahem, about our pot holes!). Overall, the end of April is an uplifting time: spring greens at our farmstands & baby animals at our hill & valley farms feel good. We relish these days for the long daylight & getting the chores done. This is the season to refresh our stores too with new displays & ample cleaning. It is time to move displays & get the winter crud out! Chores provide an opportunity to engage in our day-to-day, taking care of what is in front & in our control.

But sun brings shadows. At the St Pierre Farm in Berkshire, darkness fell this week. Border Patrol removed & detained eight workers from Pleasant Valley Farm, Vermont's largest dairy operation. Farmworkers across the state are part of the fabric of our dairy industry. Through raids workers' humanity is diminished. It also is a blow to the running of the farms as labor from non-migrant workers has been greatly reduced over the past 20 years. What lies ahead for the eight men is uncertain. Vermont has been at the center of several recent high-profile Immigration & Customs Enforcement detentions (WAMC). What impact this portends for future raids is yet to be exposed across the dairy farms of the state. Governor Scott said, "I believe those who are here illegally & are committing serious crimes should be detained, I don’t believe we should be targeting those who are here peacefully.” Thursday April 24th Migrant Justice held a rally in Burlington in support of the workers & the farms relying on their skills.

Read on for current touch points brought to you through the VT Grocers Project which includes connections among organizations to support a sense of together we are stronger.

Remembrance



Consummate maple man & family visionary, Steve MacCausland journeyed on, with his family by his side, as John Coltrane's A Love Supreme played. With Steve’s vision, high standards, attention to detail & work ethic, Green Wind Farm evolved into a special place. His mediums were the raw materials of wood, stone & soil. His attachment to his natural surroundings inspired his family to farm & area sugarmakers as they yarned out tales as they improved their craft. He appreciated all things simple & was the keeper of family traditions. We send our heartfelt condolences to his family & friends. 7 Days Obituary

“Everything I know (about sugaring) I learned from Steve;” “There are very few, if any, who have affected me as much as Steve.”

Powers Market:

Pillars of the Community

A building can make a statement. That is true in the heart of North Bennington where Powers Market stands out.

Obviously the architecture is commanding, yet there's even more when you enter. Inside faces of the community welcome shoppers to fresh cafe-made meals, ready to eat grab & go, & in season local produce & flowers from True Love Farm, & of course grocery items.

Local suppliers provide the dairy, produce, meat & artisan foods. Food Connects in Brattleboro- part of VT Food Hub Network & Vermont Roots provides the store with loads of Vermont pantry items. When summer rolls in, community events & mutual aid engagements round out the social mix so intrinsic to our community general stores.

Our general stores offer community engagement & connections along with food & other services. The Preservation Trust of Vermont recently received a donation of more than $1 million to establish a fund to support the preservation and revitalization of rural Vermont, including stores.

The Lawrence and Mary Schwanke Fund for Rural Communities will provide funds to community groups for capital projects or activities that help preserve the essential character of Vermont. The fund has been established by a Minnesota farm couple to advance vibrant local communities. What a gift to our state!

“As we visited & learned, we discovered that the Preservation Trust of Vermont is doing the work to help preserve & support the essence of what we found so attractive about Vermont,” says Schwanke. “The small communities, the general stores, a church or a town hall that was remodeled or updated to have a day care – these are the things that are critical to keeping these rural areas and small towns viable.”

Positively Good News:

More good news from The Shires in these wild, uncertain, & crazy times.

Fahey Family Ranch in Pownal is sponsoring the Farmers Market of Bennington. This farm is about building community, from summer riding camps to supporting Veterans with community engagement. They saw a need to re-engage as changes to the prior farmers market came about.

The new outdoor market is to be centrally located at Deer Park on North Street near the Veteran's Home. It will be easily accessed for folks walking, as well as those driving.

This year from June 28th to October 25th vendors gather to sell their wares. Loads of local vendors are lining up. But that is not all! A strong kids program will include book readings by local authors, animals& good ol' kids stuff! Fahey Family Ranch invites all to join them for summer Saturdays at Deer Park!

Fact or Fiction?

It is easy to run a produce department. I say Fiction.

No matter the size of a store, maintaining product quality, abundant displays to scale, clear & accurate signage, eye for local & seasonal, along with an enthusiastic staff are a few of the major considerations.

There are so many more factors! Produce is all about the five senses. Shoppers buy with their eyes, but the tactile matters too. Oh, so do sounds! Just think of the "squeaky" sound of fresh curly kale & sound of fresh local asparagus.

When produce is limp it will not foster sales. There is a saying that is well entrenched by Produce geeks: "DO NOT WAIT FOR OLD PRODUCE TO SELL BEFORE STOCKING FRESH". What this means is if it is limp & clearly looks 'spent' pull it & restock with the fresh stuff from your backstock/cooler. This will provide shoppers with the message that the store cares to stock food that can last a few days in the home fridge.

Also, empty displays are lost sales. Your margins are already tight (it's retail food, right?). You gain no sales when you have no product. There is a balancing act for sure, between orders & stocking. Be mindful of any patterns where there are gaps. The gaps reduce sales & reduce shopper trust. South Royalton Market strives to balance their displays with sales by offering fully stocked produce as seen in the picture. This definitely increases sales.  

Relocalizing Grains In Middletown Springs

Naga Bakehouse offers organic, regionally grown, & locally stoneground whole grain flour.

The grains all locally-grown are stone-milled in small batches aligned with their goals to re-localize grain production & milling in Vermont.

Naga connects the farmer, miller, baker & eater in a “close to home” loop.

Products are perfect as a CSA add-on, & to round out farmstand or store inventory offerings.

*Whole wheat flour

*Buckwheat flour

*Artisan blend flour

*Whole Wheat or Buckwheat Pancake mix

Pack sizes: 5 & 10 pound bags; & 2 lb bags sold 6/ per case 

Distribution is direct from Naga Bakehouse & from Vermont Farmers Food Center (VFFC) in Rutland and the Addison Country Relocalization Network (ACORN) in Middlebury.

Reach out for prices & shipping days

nagabakehouse@gmail.com

Stone's Throw Farmstead:

Feeding Hikers

Finding a niche to build a business is a creative aspect of farming. Jess & Connor have dialed into the wonders of their farm location by welcoming Appalachian Trail hikers at trail marker 1691.5.

The diversified farmstead provides hikers ( & all visitors!) amazing food: fresh-baked goods, produce, dairy, meat, & snacks. Hikers can pre-arrange mail & supply drops, recharge devises & use WIFI to connect with friends & family, & purchase fuel for their walk ahead. 

A big shout out to Stone's Throw Farm on their own journey feeding all visitors with amazing food-fuel & providing a super cool & inviting place to recharge.

Many vegetable & fruit farmers rely on a federal jobs program- H2A (for short), that supplies workers to farmers who comply with the range of regulations. This year, the temporary worker program appears to be running smoothly without the disruption other federal programs are facing. Just this week a number of Jamaican workers flew into to the state to get started. Unlike dairy workers, they are not at risk of being detailed ICE.

This Darkness Gotta Give

On April 24th hundreds of farmworkers & allies rallied in an emergency mobilization demanding the release of eight dairy workers arrested in their home by Border Patrol agents earlier this week.

As farmworkers led the march through downtown Burlington, their chants reverberated: “When immigrant rights are under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back!” While this week’s on-farm arrest is one of the largest in recent history, it is part of a larger pattern of attacks against immigrant farmworkers.

Just two weeks ago, federal agents stopped and detained community member Arbey Lopez as he was on his way to the same farm where workers were detained on Monday night. Arbey is now held in detention and at risk of deportation. Support Migrant Justice with a donation, activism, sport their line of clothing to share your support.

Jesús, Juan, Luis, Urillas, Max, Adrian, José, & Dani are all dairy workers living & working in Franklin County. Ranging from 22 to 41 years old, they came to Vermont to work on a dairy farm searching for a better life for themselves & their families. For this, they are now being held behind bars. -MJ

Hannaford & Milk With Dignity

From The Check Out by Errol Schweizer:

After five years encountering consistent refusals to meet, Migrant Justice had its first meeting with a company executive to begin a dialog about Milk with Dignity.

In a bold new step in the campaign, Migrant Justice also filed an international human rights complaint with the Dutch government over the supermarket chain’s failure to remedy systemic human rights violations on the farms producing Hannaford-brand milk. The complaint has been submitted to the Dutch National Contact Point of the OECD Guidelines on Multinational Enterprises for Responsible Business Conduct; it extensively documents Ahold’s violations of the guidelines. The Dutch body will now begin an investigation into the complaint and may bring Migrant Justice & Ahold together to find a resolution. Join Errol on Substack to read more about the food industry from the quintessential "Grocery Nerd".

May Day: Solidarity

The Milk With Dignity campaign is moving forward. Farmworkers’ next planned action is a full-day picket of Hannaford Supermarkets on May 1st, International Workers’ Day. Dairy workers & allies will picket the Hannaford in Williston, VT from open to close, urging consumers not to shop there in solidarity with workers’ demands for Milk with Dignity. At 5pm, community groups will gather at a nearby park (28 Walnut St, Williston) before marching past the offices of Immigration & Customs Enforcement & joining workers at the Hannaford for a large rally at 7pm.

Engagement

Matters: Demos & CSA Connections

Building food brands takes initiative. That is true for the food manufacturer & for distributors. There are costs to consider to reach new stores & market channels. This includes trade allowances for the vendors. For the distributors it can entail a strong marketing & merchandising retail team which increases labor costs.

When considering demos & sampling there can be an added cost to the vendor for sampled product.

Each business has to ascertain for itself the return on investment, which is unique to each their stage of growth & their sales projections. The reciprocal nature of one-on-one engagement has measurable impacts. Shoppers feel obliged to buy from a sample or demo experience. For them to re-purchase it requires a fondness for the product & or its price perception, & for the store to carry ample inventory for an uptick resulting from the demo/sampling event.

Black River Produce is reinstituting a vibrant on-site demo program. The sales rep help engage store buyers & shoppers to promote the products they sell. They tell the story of the business, get direct feedback, & always do so with the intent to help the store engage with shoppers, without having the labor outlay. At Middlebury Coop & Jericho Market, BRP meets staff & customers to build relationships that encourage sales.

At Green Mountain Farm Direct in the Northeast corner of Vermont, the food hub has utilized grant funds to help build relationships with stores & their local food farmers & other vendors.

Recently the food hub account manager met with the manager of Green Mountain Natural Foods to talk shop. Lots of ideas for possible new products were flushed out along with a better understanding of the store. These types of engagement build the relationship that lead to sales.

One thing that caught the eye, the store is a host site for Pete's Greens CSA. Weekly deliveries from the farm in Craftsbury to the store ensures an increase in traffic flow on pick up days. It is an opportunity to promote products that complement the produce of the week.

Bennington Community Market is another store with a summer CSA pick up partnering with True Love Farm in Shaftsbury. When stores build these community connections they can build promotions to help drive sales in the store helping to increase sales per square foot (divide total in-store sales by the available selling area in the store)

In Season: Joe's Brook Farm

We all know each season on a farm has unique challenges. The adaptive nature of farmers marks their success.

At Joe's Brook their decision-tree has been fast tracked as a result of 3 floods in the past two years. With a fair bit of analysis & forward resolve, Mary & Eric have adapted crops, planting schedules, & crop land in an effort to safe guard their revenue with little disruption to their multi-channel sales outlets.

Located in Barnet, they sell through GMFD, Deep Root Coop, & DSD to stores servicing the NEK & White Mountain Region in NH, including the Littleton Food Coop. They have a very loyal CSA customer base which shops the farmstand on pick up days.

This week the sun has provided the right soil conditions for transplanting lettuce & brassica. Changes in crop scale might be part of this year's planting plan. Last years' floods impacted this years' strawberry crop, despite that, they look forward to a nice bounty for their customers. Another response in preparation to the climate changes is having more transplants on hand for 'quick turnover' crops like lettuce.

The greenhouses are cranking. The tractors are tuned up, The workers are in place. The 2025 work goes on!

Farmer as Retailer

Join us Tuesday April 29th from 1:30 -2:30 for an insightful approach to using tools for cash out systems. Jess from Stones Throw & Abby from Maple Wind share what they have done to create systems that tie into payment, cash out, inventory mgt & account payable. Let's face it, there is a whole day to attack these topics, but let's start with a post-lunch get together. Free event sponsored by VT Farm to Plate Grocers Project.

Connect here for the link.

Heads Up!

A retail farmstand & cross dock opportunity awaits on Route 7 north of Middlebury. Lester Farm has all the necessary infrastructure for a retail operation. Interested? Contact Sam 802-349-8410

Farmstand Updates:

Act 181 includes changes to Act 143 governing Accessory On-Farm Businesses (AOFBs). Farming is exempt from Act 250. AOFB businesses are defined differently than “farming”. When it originally passed, Act 143 applied to your town’s zoning only, not Act 250.

Changes for AOFB's which will provide some exemptions from Act 250 & likely will increase revenue for Vermont farms. For what is allowed & to clarify the changes, Please explore this VAAFM page.

Organizations Need Support

Vermont Specialty Food Association is rallying aligned businesses to understand & support the role of our “food manufacturing” organization. Become a member of our trade organizations, as they are now relying more than ever on membership fees. The Grocers Project has advocated joining VSFA, Migrant Justice, the Vermont Vegetable & Berry Growers Association, Vermont Cheese Council, & NOFA.

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

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. Loads of updates that can include agroforestry, women farmer summits, butchering seminars, staffing news, & so much more.

Apologies for any oversights & typos

Special Thanks: Karen@ True Love, Denise @ Fahey Family Ranch, Mary @ Joe's Brook, Vern @ Extension, Jess @ Stones Throw, Abby @ Maple Wind, All the allies of Migrant Justice,

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.