Working toward the goals of the Vermont Agriculture and Food System Strategic Plan 2021–2030
January 30, 2025
Because agricultural activity exists in every county of the state, in both rural communities and our more urban centers, we all have a stake in our ability to produce more of what we eat every day. Vermont needs a prosperous, resilient, food secure, and equitable food system that can meet more of our needs today and for future generations.
NOTE: This story originally appeared in the VSJF Impact Report 2024. Click here to read the entire report.
Farm to Plate History
Vermont Farm to Plate began in 2009 when the Vermont Legislature created the Vermont Farm to Plate Investment Program and tasked VSJF with working toward its intended outcomes. Following the success of the first 10 years, the Vermont Legislature reauthorized Vermont Farm to Plate in 2019 (Act 23) and directed VSJF and the Farm to Plate Network to create the next 10 year food system plan. After an 18-month research and public engagement process, the team delivered the Vermont Agriculture and Food System Strategic Plan 2021–2030 to the State Legislature in early 2021. The Plan includes 15 new Goals and 34 new Priority Strategies for expanding and strengthening Vermont’s food system even further, building upon the tremendous gains over the previous ten years.
Why Farm to Plate?
When Vermont Farm to Plate launched in 2009, we estimated that about 5% (about $114 million in sales) of the food Vermonters consume annually was produced here. At that time there were 58,000 Vermonters employed in the food system across 11,221 farm and food enterprises. The sector’s total economic output was estimated at $9.3 billion. By building a Network of 350+ businesses, non-profit organizations, government personnel, capital providers, and educators all across the state, and taking a soil- to-soil approach of taking action across every part of the food system (i.e., farm inputs, production, processing, distribution, retailing, and nutrient management), significant progress has been achieved.
Our efforts have served as a national example in food system vitality, equity, sustainability, and innovative best practices that are becoming more ubiquitous across agriculture and food systems in the United States.
Yet, there is much more work that lies ahead to further strengthen Vermont’s food system and our ability to feed ourselves. We face challenges such as climate change, industry consolidation and global supply chain vulnerabilities, lack of food security, high cost of farmland, and land use pressures.
We also need to marshal the technical assistance and capital resources needed to support Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC), veterans and other historically marginalized or disadvantaged communities who want to farm and/or start a food business here.
Vermont Farm to Plate Investment Program Intended Outcomes (Act 23, 2019)
- Increase sustainable economic development and create jobs in Vermont’s food and farm sector
- Improve soils, water, and resiliency of the working landscape in the face of climate change
- Improve access to healthy local foods for all Vermonters
Vermont Farm to Plate—10 Years of Progress
- Doubled local food sales to 10% or $481 million annually
- Increased total economic output of food and farm sector to $14.2 billion
- 300 net new farm and food businesses created
- 62,000 Vermonters employed in the food system
Our Impact
The Farm to Plate Network’s impact is statewide, touching all aspects of Vermont’s food and agriculture system. Our extensive sector expertise and knowledge of statewide strategic priorities has allowed us to align partner efforts with the Strategic Plan and serve as a trusted resource on many food system boards and committees, such as the Working Lands Enterprise Fund, Sodexo’s Vermont First Advisory Committee, the Climate Council’s Agriculture and Ecosystems subcommittee, Farm to School’s Common Circle, the Agency of Agriculture’s Specialty Crop Block Grant committee, and the Governor’s Commission on the Future of Agriculture (2021–2023).
Supporting Resilient Food System Infrastructure
In 2024, VSJF expanded its reach by launching a multi-year effort to develop our local and regional supply chains that will remove structural and financial barriers for regional food infrastructure in Vermont. Funding support for this new effort has been made possible with one-time USDA-Resilient Food System Infrastructure funding flowing through the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets. This initiative involves stakeholder engagement across the supply chain, mapping and spatially analyzing infrastructure assets and needs, building and vetting a pipeline of high impact projects with technical experts, structuring, coordinating, and securing funding and financing on behalf of those projects, and providing ongoing project development and operational support through business coaching services. If successful, over the next three years more Vermont businesses will have the infrastructure to expand, take on new employees, and increase sales here in Vermont and throughout New England.
Kahler Inducted into Vermont Agricultural Hall of Fame
VSJF Executive Director Ellen Kahler was honored as an Ag Innovator during her induction into Vermont’s Agricultural Hall of Fame at the Champlain Valley Fair in August 2024. Ellen’s innovative work through the Farm to Plate program has had positive impacts on Vermont’s food system, making local food more widely available and sustainable, while supporting and raising awareness about viable career opportunities in the food system.
In 2024:
- 15 farm and food businesses received technical assistance through the USDA Resilient Food System Infrastructure program.
- 7 farms received training on breeding, marketing, and financial planning for the Beef on Dairy Project.
- 75 farm and food businesses received distribution and retail sales technical assistance through the Network’s Independent Grocers Program.
- 1,000+ subscribers to the bi-monthly Small Bites e-newsletter, addressing producer, vendor, and buyer interests in support of local food sales—a 65% open rate and consistent positive feedback from readership.
- $20,000 secured for the Network’s CSA & Healthcare Community of Practice’s to aid the development of Food Is Medicine initiatives.
In addition:
- We are facilitating 5 food hubs to identify middle of the supply chain investment needs for both supply and distribution, improve strategic planning and operational efficiencies between food hubs, distributors, and producers, and surface market research or shared logistics technology needs.
- The Intervale Center, with the support of the Network’s Financing Farmland Access Priority Strategy Team, explored the feasibility of various shared equity models and how they relate to community, farmer, racial, and gender equity.
New Staff
In 2024, VSJF created a Farm to Plate Network Assistant position, hiring Jessica Poulin and welcomed Hannah Baxter as our new Farm to Plate Network Manager.
Why It’s Important
If where our food comes from suddenly mattered, would Vermont and our six state New England region have a reliable, safe, and abundant food supply? Coming out of the pandemic and experiencing the effects of climate change, securing Vermont’s food supply chain is more important than ever. No single state or region can become food self-sufficient, but we can increase food self-reliance as both an investment in our shared future and an insurance policy against current and future risks.
Vermont’s working lands are the state’s economic powerhouse, a means to our quality of life, and important to the state’s recreational and tourist economy. Consumers have proven that they want to buy local, know where their food comes from, and are concerned about the safety of our food supply. All of these economic trends necessitate more local food production for overall food security.
Our Goals and Objectives
There are 15 goals and 87 objectives that will be the focus of VSJF and the Farm to Plate Network over the next 10 years. Here is a sampling of what we hope to achieve through our collaborative and aligned activities by 2030.
- Food system economic output will increase by $3 billion (a 26.5% increase) by 2030.
- There will be 5,000 net new food sector jobs and 350 net new food sector establishments by 2030.
- By 2030, Vermont food products will be 25% of all in-state food purchases, by dollar value.
- By 2030, the aggregate total of Vermont products sold in the Northeast will increase, by dollar value.
- Median wages for all job categories in the food system will, at minimum, match the Vermont Livable Wage.
- Diverse cultural groups in Vermont will increasingly report that their food needs are met by Vermont producers.
- Total acres of conserved farmland will increase by 30,000 acres. River and stream miles impaired or altered by agriculture will decrease by 20%.
What We Need
We greatly appreciate the Legislature’s continued support of Vermont Farm to Plate, but there is more work to be done. We need infrastructure investment in Vermont’s food system at a larger scale, climate policy that supports the resilience and adaptive capacity of farmers and farmland, policy that supports existing and innovative approaches to farmland access, and dedicated funding that improves our food security and access to local food for all Vermonters.
Farm and Food Business Economic Development
$5 million to support the Working Lands Enterprise Board and $6 million to VAAFM to support infrastructure and supply chain development for meat, maple, and produce.
Climate Change
Implement the policy priorities developed by the Agriculture and Ecosystems Subcommittee of the Vermont Climate Council.
Farmland Access
- Revise loan statutes to create easier pathways for shared or equitable farmland ownership with USDA-FSA and other financial institutions. Allow for equal ownership percentages among multiple non-married/non-family members as borrowers.
- Invest in training for accountants and lawyers to reduce the risk of working with farmers pursuing alternative land access.
- Develop land access policies that support a diversity of goals such as affordable housing and farmland conservation.
- Fund the Land Access and Opportunity Board to work with communities that have been excluded from policy and resource allocation decisions around land and housing access.
Food Security and Emergency Relief
- Create a $20 million Vermont Farm Emergency Fund to provide rapid relief to impacted businesses and communities when natural disasters and other state emergencies arise.
- Provide $1.75 million for Responsive Readiness to support the services and systems of the Vermont Foodbank.
- Increase funding for proven ways to ensure food security, including $500,000 in base funding for NOFA-VT’s Crop
- Cash Plus and Farm Share, $3.25 million in one-time requests from the Vermont Foodbank for network partner support (i.e., food shelves, meal sites, senior centers, after school center, schools, and hospitals).
