There’s a problem in Vermont. Small-scale shepherds are drowning in their own wool. Why? It’s because of a lack of small-scale fiber mills in the state. This letter is a plea for creative business people to consider opening a mill. Being a shepherd and not a miller, I haven’t done any formal market research, but my off-the-cuff guess from informally chatting with both shepherds and millers is that the state (or larger region) could support several small-scale mills.
We’re already in critical danger. Indeed, it’s no good thinking that collapse can be avoided, as all attempts to reform the growth paradigm are doomed to failure. The best we can do is “manage our descent”, conscientiously cultivating those habits of mind and practical behaviors that will help fashion a good life post-collapse.
Vermont Legislative Update
NOFA-VT has been tracking several bills as they proceed through the legislature this session, including H.663 (the agricultural enterprise bill), H.688 and H.915 (two bills related to pollinator protection), and H.661 and H.903 (two bills related to...
The next National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) meeting will be taking place on April 25-27 in Tucson, AZ. The NOSB will be voting on and discussing the use of materials on organic farms and in organic food at this upcoming meeting. As always, it is important for organic...
As one of the first youth culinary competitions in the country, Jr Iron Chef VT has challenged and inspired more than 3,000 Vermont students to learn about and source local ingredients, develop recipes that inspire school meal programs, and cook whole, local foods from scratch. Jr Iron Chef VT is a program of Vermont FEED (Food Education Every Day), a partnership project of NOFA-VT and Shelburne Farms.
NOFA-VT is offering one-on-one technical assistance to growers interested in analyzing their costs of production. This service is structured to be "a la carte" - you can choose to jump into a full cost of production analysis for specific crops or focus on components of that...
Thank you to everyone who helped make our 36th annual Winter Conference a success, especially our generous sponsors who make it possible with their financial support. View numbers and see a photo gallery from the conference.
Legislative Update | March 2018
NOFA-VT has been tracking several bills as they proceed through the legislature this session, including H.663 (the agricultural enterprise bill), H.688 (the pollinator protection bill), and H.661 (the regenerative organic transition assistance bill)....
NOFA-VT is looking for volunteers to help with their preparing and assisting with their Bulk Order, a bulk order sale of farming and gardening supplies which benefits their Farm to Community Mentor Program. Volunteers are welcomed to volunteer for the full day or a minimum of a 3 hour shift. Multiple volunteers are needed per shift.