Last Tuesday, Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin signed into law the Working Lands Enterprise Investment bill (H.496). At the signing, Governor Shumlin noted that this initiative is the first new program in government of significance since the great recession began. “This is a big day…The renaissance in agriculture is happening right here in Vermont…Vermont’s best agriculture and forest products days are ahead of us. This bill is a testament to our future.” The Working Lands Enterprise Fund will start off with a million dollars to invest in our working lands enterprises.
For more info, visit the Vermont Council on Rural Development.
Rural Vermont is requesting all raw milk producers across the state participate in a survey on raw milk sales in Vermont. The Vermont Legislature has requested that Rural Vermont present data to the House and Agricultural Committees representing the viability of raw milk sales in the state. Farmers who sell raw milk will be asked questions ranging from gross annual sales to issues encountered with the current law. The motivation behind this comprehensive survey is to gather valuable information to convince policy makers that raw milk is a growing and important part of Vermont’s agricultural economy.
TAKE THE SURVEY. (Word version)
Since 2005, Rural Vermont has been advocating with farmers and consumers to expand the legal allowances of raw milk sales. In July of 2009, the Un-pasteurized (Raw) Milk Bill, Act 62, took effect and created a two-tiered system for raw milk dairies. This regulatory system requires basic production standards to be met by all farmers. Farmers selling up to 40 gallons per day or delivering directly to consumers have to meet additional standards.
Although Rural Vermont views Act 62 as a positive step forward, many farmers want to see additional changes to the current law. “When Act 62 was enacted in 2009, it allowed me to double my raw milk sales,” says Lindsay Harris of the Family Cow Farmstand in Hinesburg. She further states “the law established in statute our right to sell raw milk. Even though there are still ways we can improve the law, it’s important for us [farmers] to keep communicating our visions to policy makers.”
Robb Kidd, Rural Vermont Organizer, states that “in order for the legislature to understand necessary improvements to the law, it is important for all raw milk producers to provide Rural Vermont current statistical data to demonstrate the economic viability of raw milk and the potentials for growth.” If you are a raw milk producer please contact Rural Vermont at (802) 223-7222 to obtain a survey or CLICK HERE for the PDF version.
Rural Vermont is a nonprofit advocacy group founded by farmers in 1985 that advocates, activates, and educates for living soils, thriving farms, and healthy communities. For more info, call (802) 223-7222, visit www.ruralvermont.org, or email robb@ruralvermont.org.
The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets (VAAFM) is now accepting applications for the new Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) Capital Improvement Grant Program. This program was created by the Vermont Legislature to provide matching grants for capital investments that will support Vermont agricultural producers in obtaining GAP certification.
The goals of the GAP Capital Improvement Grant Program are to increase sales of Vermont fruits and vegetables and create or maintain jobs by enhancing market access and promoting food safety. Both GAPs-certified producers, as well as those who are looking towards GAPs certification are eligible to apply. There is a maximum cap among all GAPs Capital Improvements Program grants of $10,000 per farm, and farms must contribute a minimum of 50% of the total project costs. To be eligible for funding, the participant must be in good standing with the Agency of Agriculture regarding regulatory requirements and resulting penalties.
A total of $100,000 is available. Funding will be disbursed in two grant rounds, with the first grant round open from July 1 to September 30, 2011. A total of $50,000 is available in the first grant round, and will be made available to producers for eligible expenses in the order that applications are received. Applications received after first round grant funds are fully expended will be automatically considered in the second round of funding. The second round will open on November 1, 2011.
NOTE: Interested applicants can contact Allen Matthews for assistance (allen.matthews@uvm.edu). Grant applications can be up to $10,000 per farm for capital improvements. While the Federal standards for GAP wave any sales under $500,000 and within 275 miles from the farm, it looks as if local grocers, including Co-ops, may be gearing up to require their own GAP approval for all farms wanting to sell to them.
Looking for an opportunity to help rebuild the local and regional food system?
The Farm Credit Administration (FCA) — the federally chartered agency that oversees the nationwide network of banks that make up the Farm Credit System (FCS) — is asking the public to comment on a proposed rule that, if adopted, would direct FCS banks to be more responsive to the credit needs of small and mid-sized farmers and ranchers producing for local and regional food markets.
FCS supplies nearly 40% of all U.S. farm financing and has the capacity to bring badly needed capital to local food producers, and to leverage other sources of capital for the task of rebuilding our local and regional food system infrastructure.
In fact, FCS, is legally bound to provide a dependable source of credit and credit services to all creditworthy farm borrowers but most FCS borrowers are conventional commodity market operations and on average larger than most family farms.
This is an important opportunity to help shape future FCS services to small and mid-sized farmers and ranchers producing for the local and regional market.
Talking Points:
Thank you for this opportunity to provide comment on ways the FCS can better serve small and midsized, local and regional food producers. We support your efforts to diversify the FCS loan portfolio and would ask that in defining what needs to be included in FCS marketing plans that you include:
1. A requirement that FCS institutions create a baseline analysis of producers who meet the farm bill definition of local and regional food producers by number of borrowers, by loan volume, and other key characteristics.
2. A minimum investment goal for local and regional food producers of 10% of the institution’s capital within 5 years.
3. A plan for conducting outreach to local and regional food producers and a commitment to adding local and regional food producers to the FCS board.
4. A requirement that the marketing plan and periodic progress reports be made public.
5. A plan for providing staff development training to FCS personnel across the full spectrum of lending, accounting, farm transfer and business planning services appropriate for serving local and regional food producers.
6. A plan for developing lending and business support products with terms and benefits appropriate for local and regional food producers.
7. An inventory of strengths and weaknesses of the local and regional food infrastructure within the bank’s territory and a plan for leveraging the public and private capital necessary to address those weaknesses.
Submit comments and letters to:
The Agency of Agriculture and the Conservation Districts have been holding a series of workshops aimed at providing information to farmers and their staff to explain farm field regulations. The presentation is geared especially to field workers and custom operators and defines Vermont’s water quality field regulations. The workshops will also provide helpful tools for remembering the regulations. Information for all farm sizes will be presented.
Below are dates and locations for the remaining workshops:
