Blog
Spring 2018 NOSB Materials Posted
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.
What makes a CSA so lovely?
NOFA Vermont online directory makes it easy to sign up for Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA)
Young Chefs Test Their Skills in Iron Chef Competition
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.
GET HELP WITH COST OF PRODUCTION OR DIRECT MARKETING
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 productio
Winter Conference 2018 Roundup
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 | Town Meeting Week 2018
Legislative Update | March 2018
Volunteers needed for bulk order pickup
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.
Seeking member from CT, VT, RI and NH for Domestic Fair Trade Committee!
The NOFA Interstate Council has a committee on Domestic Fair Trade
Produce Safety Rule Deadline, High Demand Prompts Second Round of Improvement Grants
January 26, 2018 marks the first major compliance date for farms covered by the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule. Farms that grow, harvest, pack, or hold produce with greater than $500,000 in annual produce sales must be in compliance with the rule’s standards for on-farm produce safety practices beginning Friday. To assist growers in making on-farm improvements that prevent or reduce produce safety risks, the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets (VAAFM) launched the Vermont Produce Safety Improvement Grant Program, which recently awarded eight grants of between $7,000 and $10,000 to Vermont growers to make on-farm food safety improvements. Growers will have another opportunity to apply for Produce Safety Improvement Grants beginning February 28, 2018 at 9:00 AM.
The Census of Agriculture is a Producer's Voice, Future, and Opportunity
Your voice, your future, your opportunity. Data from the Census of Agriculture help develop and shape farm programs and services. Help spread the word.
Sourcing rare and endangered foods for Slow Food Ark of Taste
Slow Food Vermont is looking to source some items to feature at the Young Farmer Meetup at the NOFA-VT Winter Conference. The Slow Food Ark of Taste features rare and endangered foods of cultural significance, and we'd like to feature some key New England items. We are hoping some of you amazing growers have some of these produce items in storage here in midwinter.
Farmers Market Legal Toolkit Provides Free Resources to Build Strong, Accessible Markets for Communities
The Center for Agriculture and Food Systems (CAFS) at Vermont Law School, Farmers Market Coalition (FMC), and Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont (NOFA-VT) today launched an onlineFarmers Market Legal Toolkit, a free resource to support building resilient and accessible markets throughout the United States. The toolkit, created with support from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), is available at farmersmarketlegaltoolkit.org.
Take action on organic animal welfare: comment deadline is January 17
The National Organic Coalition urges everyone to submit a unique comment to express your strong support for the organic animal welfare regulations before the deadline on January 17, 2018.
Changing Paradigms in Food and Farming
The state’s dairy farmers, both organic and conventional are in the poorhouse. Vermont’s iconic dairy industry has been in an economic pinch for some time. The prices farmers are paid for the milk they produce are well below the costs of production. Until recently, organic dairy production has been an economic lifeline for many producers, but for the first time ever, organic prices have dropped as much as six dollars per hundredweight in the last few months. Quotas have been imposed on organic milk production further lessening farmers’ income potential. Stress levels on dairy farms continue to increase as farmers find they cannot pay their bills.