NOFA Notes Fall 2012

In This Issue Ag Labor Laws . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Vermont Hosts Farm to Cafeteria Conference . . . . . . . 6 Apple Cider Vinegar . . . . . . . . 9 Why Choose Certified Organic, Locally Grown? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 CRAFT Pilot Program . . . . . . 13 The Quarterly Newsletter of the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont

Vermont Bean Crafters

By Caitlin Jenness, VOF Assistant

W

hen you buy a package of Vermont Bean Crafters’ certified organic black bean burgers, you’re buying more than a locally made, nutritious, and tasty treat. Behind the product lies a mission to expand health and nutrition for all ages, support Vermont farmers, and find creative solutions to the challenges that limit dry bean production in the state.

At 26, Joe Bossen, founder of Vermont Bean Crafters Company, looks holistically at the way his business fits into the bigger picture of agriculture in the state.

Young entrepreneurs should take heed of Joe Bossen’s approach to running a business: utilizing creative problem-solving to address day-to-day challenges, fostering strong relationships with producers and suppliers, and putting values first. The result is a successful business that is creating connections between farms.

The Vermont Bean Crafters team, at Solarfest 2012 in Tinmouth, VT. Left to right: Tom Hite, Jamie Mantia, Rose Robitaille, Evan J. Miller, and Joe Bossen.

Bossen came to Vermont to study renewable energy at Green Mountain College in Putney. He soon discovered Green Mountain’s student-run Cerridwen Farm and an interest in growing food. He found volunteering on the farm enjoyable and fulfilling, and upon graduation decided to pursue his interest in agriculture.

After working on seasonal farms, then managing his own plot on Boardman Hill Farm in West

Rutland, Joe determined that the start-up costs of a vegetable operation were more than he could take on. In 2009, he began instead to explore the realm of value-added products and, utilizing the kitchen at Boardman Hill Farm, began concocting his bean-based vegetarian meals.

In 2009, Bossen offered twelve varieties of bean burgers at the Rutland Farmers Market. While this approach resulted in little income, he considered it a successful “research and development” season. By the end of the summer, Bossen had collected enough feedback from customers to adjust and refine his recipe into what he offers today: a truly tasty, 99% local and organic product.

Continued on page 3 »

NOFA Vermont

PO Box 697,14 Pleasant St Richmond, VT 05477 NOFA: 802-434-4122 VOF: 802-434-3821 info@nofavt.org www.nofavt.org Board of Directors Mimi Arnstein Regina Beidler Josh Brown Jennifer Colby Sona Desai Debra Heleba Andrew Knafel Jack Manix Ross Thurber Kate Turcotte Helen Whybrow Staff Enid Wonnacott Executive Director

Kirsten Bower

Financial Manager

Erin Buckwalter

Food Security & Marketing Coordinator

Nicole Dehne

VOF Coordinator

Sam Fuller

Technical Assistance Program Administrator

Willie Gibson

Dairy & Livestock Advisor

Caitlin Gildrien

Outreach Coordinator

Caitlin Jenness

VOF Office Assistant and Summer Workshop Coordinator

Rose McDonough

VOF Certification Specialist

Abbie Nelson

Agricultural Education Coordinator

Laura Nunziata

VOF Certification Specialist

Lynda Prim

Fruit and Vegetable Advisor

Barbara Richardson Office Manager

Dave Rogers

Dairy & Livestock Advisor & Policy Advisor

Gregg Stevens

Fall Thoughts from Enid

F

all is a time of beginnings and endings as the seasons change, kids go back to school, and the cool nights herald the winter to come. This fall I have a daughter graduating from high school and starting college, and I begin another year of field hockey coaching, a seasonal job I have been doing for the last 12 years. I coach JV players who are just starting their freshman and sophomore years at high school.

At our first practice, a former player who recently graduated came to share her graduation speech with the coaches. The theme of her speech – aspiring to greatness – reflects on a quote that the varsity coach recites before every game, a quote often attributed to Nelson Mandela, but actually written by Marianne Williamson.

“We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?”

I reflected on this in the midst of my daughter’s angst as she headed off to college and thought of the potential of greatness in each of us, and how, as a parent, I hope I have done everything I can to prepare her to accept and encourage her own greatness. I reflected also on that time in my own life of entering college – how self-aware was I of achieving greatness? What about now? When in our lives do we consciously think about it?

I afforded myself the time to think about greatness, and realized there is nothing greater to me than stewarding the land and nourishing the soil – raising healthy livestock from high-quality forages, sungold tomatoes unsurpassed in taste, and celery root full of the goodness of wellmineralized soil.

the farmers, gardeners and homesteaders that NOFA seeks to support, and by the communities that worked together to rebuild after the tropical storm last year.

I think about my role in supporting this quest for greatness in others – as a parent, a coach, and as NOFA Vermont’s director.

And, I realize I love that role, and the inspiring people I meet, talk with and learn from. Thank you.

I look forward to the opportunity that I, along with the NOFA staff and board of directors, will have this fall to speak with NOFA members in preparation for updating our 5 year strategic plan.

Are you interested in speaking with one of us as part of our stakeholder interview process? If so, please let me know – we plan on having detailed discussions with approximately 50 NOFA-VT members.

Another way for you to provide input is to fill out the survey enclosed in this newsletter, or fill out the online version.

We are proud to be a membership organization, your voice is important to us.

We have received some great input at the NOFAvore socials this summer, and the survey is another important tool. If you need to review what NOFA-VT’s current goals are and what we accomplished in 2011, our annual report is on our website.

Thanks in advance for your participation and helping us be the greatest organization we can be.

Everybody has different ideas about what is great, what work is the most meaningful, and that is probably a good thing.

Personally, I am inspired to greatness by

VOF Certification Specialist

Becca Weiss

Office Assistant

Page 2

NOFA Vermont is an organization of farmers, gardeners, & consumers working to promote an economically viable and ecologically sound Vermont food system for the benefit of current and future generations.

NOFA Notes Fall 2012

Bean Crafters, continued from cover

The various vegetables used in Vermont Bean Crafters products all come from certified organic farms in Vermont and New England. Joe has gone to creative lengths to source his beans from Vermont, at times harvesting and hand-processing them himself. Vermont Bean Crafters also purchase the splits (which for cosmetic reasons are otherwise unsalable) from local farmers - giving farmers an income from what would traditionally be considered a by-product of production. When unable to find the quantities needed in Vermont, Bean Crafters sources the rest from New York state, where production far outstrips that of Vermont. Aside from cumin and curry, the farthest they go for any ingredient is Maine for solar-evaporated sea salt.

As a grower himself, Bossen is motivated by the benefits that dry bean production can bring to a farm. Dry beans are a relatively easy crop to grow, their yields are highly nutritious, shelf stable, and an affordable protein source for consumers. As a legume, beans are a beneficial addition to a crop rotation, serving a crucial role in restoring soil nitrogen.

The biggest hurdle for Vermont farmers is the harvesting and processing dry beans require. To harvest and process efficiently, one must use a combine to thresh and then winnow them. Few farms own this equipment, and for many, combines are prohibitively expensive.

Before many farmers will invest in this equipment, the market for Vermont grown beans must be stronger. Vermont Bean Crafters is doing their part to drum up demand; in addition to using 6,000 pounds of dry beans annually in their production, they broker another 6-8,000 pounds to restaurants and buyers throughout New England.

NOFA Notes Fall 2012

A Bean Crafters burger prepared by Chef Amanda Astheimer at the Bird’s Nest Bistro in Warren.

As a grower himself, Bossen is motivated by the benefits that dry bean production can bring to a farm.

In June of 2010, Black River Produce began distributing Vermont Bean Crafters products, both for resale at almost 50 stores along the east coast and wholesale to the kitchens of more than 50 restaurants, health care facilities, schools, and colleges. One place that Bean Crafters’ vegetarian wares are gathering rave reviews is among students in the Burlington School District.

In 2011 Bossen met members from the Burlington School District at a Vermont Fresh Network event.

Initial conversations of bringing Bean Crafters’ products into the school were halted by the issue of price. Joe took on this challenge and, by finding alternative sourcing agreements with farms and tweaking his recipe, the result is an affordable option for school lunches - still local, organic, delicious, and nutritious!

Bossen is hoping to spread the success of this relationship to other schools in Vermont, and is currently collaborating with Abbie Nelson of

Vermont FEED (Food Education Every Day) to develop a toolkit for schools and institutional kitchens to use to develop their own recipes.

The opening of the Mad River Food Hub in 2012 allowed for significant increases in the efficiencies of the operations of Bean Crafters. Thanks to the equipment and storage space afforded by the Food Hub, it only takes two days to produce what once took six. As a result, Bean Crafters has become financially sustainable, while simultaneously freeing up time to look at plans for the future.

While Bossen would someday like to own his own land to produce his ingredients and experiment with cultivating heirloom varieties of beans, for now it seems there are plenty of projects to keep him busy.

If you are interested in learning more about the Vermont Bean Crafters, or finding out where you can buy their products, visit: http://vermontbeancrafters.com/. 1 Page 3

Paying Attention to Agricultural Labor Laws

By Dave Rogers, NOFA Vermont Policy Advisor

N

OFA Vermont’s program work with farmers has always focused on helping Vermont’s beginning and established farmers solve their on-farm technical challenges, assisting them in developing new products and marketing opportunities, and working with them in developing sound business plans to help their farms thrive.

An increasingly important aspect of this business planning is better attention to agricultural labor laws and how they may apply in different situations.

For example, when a farm employer takes on farm interns or apprentices, when they hire additional seasonal or full-time employees, or when they develop new value-added farm products and enterprises, they may cross a legal threshold that would then require them to abide by state or federal minimum wage, overtime, unemployment tax, workers compensation or other farm labor regulations. This is a complex area of law that, until recently, has received too little attention and is not well understood by many farmers and farm service providers.

As an example of this complexity, consider an expanding vegetable farm that over several years slowly increases the number of its seasonal workers.

When aggregate yearly wages exceed $10,000, the farmer will be required to pay workers compensation insurance premiums; if aggregate wages exceed $20,000 in any calendar quarter, the farmer will be required to offer, and pay a tax for, worker unemployment insurance.

In addition, federal law requires that farms must pay minimum wage and overtime to agricultural workers if “during any calendar quarter during the preceding calendar year the

Page 4

farm uses more than five hundred man-days of agriculture labor.” (A man-day is defined as any day during which an employee performs any agricultural labor for not less than one hour.) As a rough estimate, the 500 man-day or unemployment tax thresholds may be approached on farms with as few as 5 or 6 full-time seasonal workers. Compliance with these regulations may add up to thousands of dollars per year.

the USDA’s Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program, we are working with other NOFA chapters in neighboring states, and with attorneys Kenneth Miller and Christy Asbee at Law for Food, LLC in Stowe, to make available accurate information and provide professional resources in this area. Law for Food will present a workshop on agricultural labor law at NOFA Vermont’s Winter Conference in February.

Federal law states that if a farmer derives economic benefit from the work of interns or apprentices, then they must be classified as employees.

A growing number of farms offer internship or apprenticeship programs to help new and aspiring farmers develop their knowledge and skills. These programs may or may not include wages, lodging and other compensation.

But whether or not interns and apprentices are legally employees, and thus subject to the above regulations, is a question that is often hard to determine. Federal law states that if a farmer derives economic benefit from the work of interns or apprentices, then they must be classified as employees.

There are many variations in internship and apprenticeship programs and interpretations of the regulations that pertain to them. For this reason, farmers are well advised to seek legal advice in designing internship and apprenticeship programs.

NOFA Vermont is working with other NOFAs and Vermont farmers to support a bill, recently introduced

by VT Rep. Peter Welch, to amend the aggregate wage provision of the Federal Unemployment Tax Act that has disadvantaged family-scale farms throughout the country.

With other NOFAs we will also be developing informational brochures that summarize agricultural labor laws for farmers and farm workers, as well as their respective rights and responsibilities.

Contact Dave Rogers (dave@nofavt. org) or Lynda Prim (lynda@nofavt. org) if you would like additional information. 1 (Thanks to Christy Asbee, Esq, Law For Food LLC, for providing legal analysis used in drafting this article.)

NOFA Vermont is actively involved in helping farmers and farm workers develop a better understanding of agricultural labor law and related requirements and responsibilities. With funds provided by NOFA Notes Fall 2012

Together, Better Choices

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Vermont Hosts Farm to Cafeteria Conference

By Vera Simon-Nobes, Farm to Cafeteria Conference Coordinator

N

early 800 people poured into Burlington in August for the 6th National Farm to Cafeteria Conference: Digging In! The biennial conference is hosted by the National Farm to School Network, and this year, it was co-hosted by Vermont Food Education Every Day (FEED), a statewide Farm to School program run as a partnership by Food Works at Two Rivers Center, NOFA-VT and Shelburne Farms.

The four-day conference kicked off with blue skies and seven field trips to 20 sites around Vermont, including Burlington’s Healthy City Youth Farm, Sterling College’s cafeteria, Ferrisburgh Elementary School’s compost project, three food hubs, two hospitals, and over seven farms and gardens. Field trip participants met Vermonters from many facets of the food system who are working on the ground to make Vermont a model for the country.

While over 200 participants explored the region on field trips, nearly 100 people attended creative and participatory short courses. The Protein Puzzle: Institutional Procurement of Local Meat and Seafood, organized

by Vermont Agency of Agriculture’s Chelsea Bardot Lewis, focused on poultry in Midwest public schools, beef in New England, fish in Alaska, and bison in Denver.

Liz Kenton, UVM Extension 4-H youth agriculture project coordinator, organized the second short course, Growing Food Leaders: Empowering the Next Generation, which included presenters from around the country who addressed strategies for building the next generation of leaders in the fields of food, farming, education, and wellness.

Page 6

Over 100 presenters contributed to the Farm to Cafeteria Conference workshop schedule. Photo by Orchard Cove Photography.

The conference commenced with a packed house at UVM’s Ira Allen Chapel on August 3, where a dynamic line-up of speakers welcomed the crowd. Anupama Joshi, Executive Director and Co-founder of the National Farm to School Network, celebrated the movement in her opening remarks, then Jeannie Collins, Superintendent of the Burlington School District, Diane Imrie, Director of Nutrition Services at Fletcher Allen Health Care, and Senator Bernie Sanders delivered inspiring opening addresses.

“Your work is enormously important,” Sanders told the crowd.

“What you are doing is changing the consciousness of kids, … and there is a good chance you are changing that consciousness for the rest of his or her life.”

The afternoon continued with a parade led by Bread and Puppet puppets and members of the Jeh Kulu Drum and Dance Theater. Over 800 people wound their way through campus to the Davis Center, where

Sodexo Dining Services served a lunch featuring recipes developed by two winners of Vermont FEED’s annual school cooking competition, Jr Iron Chef VT. The teams, the Milton Yellow Jackets and the Twin Valley Zeman’s Zing Zang, demonstrated the preparation of the dishes being served.

Workshops were both technical and personal, based on research and experience, challenges and successes.

“The workshops schedule was a place where we were able to balance out the emphasis on Vermont with opportunities to learn from leaders around the country. Over 100 presenters shared their stories and best practices in 40 workshops,” Olga Moriarty, one of the conference organizers said.

Throughout the weekend, presenters touted the importance of collaboration and strong, interdisciplinary networks. The conference participants built relationships at formal and informal networking sessions.

Continued on page 7 » NOFA Notes Fall 2012

Farm to Cafeteria, continued from previous page

More local food and drink flowed at the Northeast Reception at the ECHO Center, hosted by Vermont FEED and Farm to Institution New England, and at the Local Foods Reception at Shelburne Farms, where school busses delivered attendees to the Farm Barn for an inspiring dinner prepared by 11 chefs from Vermont institutions. The chefs served favorite seasonal recipes from their kitchens to astounded diners throughout the evening.

The conference concluded midday on August 5, with closing remarks from Dr. Gail Christopher of the Kellogg Foundation; Dr. Janey Thornton, USDA deputy under secretary for food, nutrition and consumer services; and U.S. Representative Chellie Pingree, who introduced the Local Farms, Food and Jobs Act into Congress.

Deb Eschmeyer, FoodCorps cofounder and director for policy and partnerships, provided the keynote address, remarking on the challenge of running a diversified veggie farm despite her family and community’s failure to recognize the importance of her work, and the importance of strong mentors in guiding personal and professional development.

The Green Mountain State provided a wonderful setting in which people from around the country and Canada could dig in to Farm to Cafeteria work.

“Vermont is a state where people are passionate about supporting local agriculture and sustaining community-based food systems, and Farm to School and Institution is one way that we’re reaching more mouths, and expanding the impact of our

locally based food system,” said Abbie Nelson, Director of Vermont FEED. “We were proud to co-host the conference so we could share what’s happening here, and it was equally inspiring to see the Farm to Cafeteria projects taking place in other cities and towns.”

Vermont FEED would like to extend a special “thank you” to all field trip hosts and the sites visited during the conference, to the farmers who supplied food for the meals, to the institutional chefs who traveled to Shelburne Farms and delighted all at the Local Foods Reception, and to the generous sponsors who helped 27 Vermonters attend the conference on scholarship. 1

NOFA’s Farm to Institution Research Report

By Abbie Nelson, NOFA Vermont

S

ince November 2011, NOFA Vermont has been coordinating a statewide inventory and research project to provide critical data for informing strategic food system investments and developing new market opportunities for Vermont’s farmers and food businesses specifically focusing on institutions.

The end goal of this research is to increase the volume and value of the wholesale market for Vermontgrown, perishable foods (including fresh fruits and vegetables, lightly processed fruits and vegetables, and eggs).

This project builds on the strategies outlined in the Farm to Plate Plan NOFA Notes Fall 2012

and also utilizes the networks and spirit of collaboration that have been strengthened through the Farm to Plate Initiative.

Two statewide inventories were completed, measuring: • Demand for local produce and eggs by VT institutions (schools, colleges, hospitals, prisons, food shelves, state cafeterias, nursing homes, and senior centers), and • Infrastructure to aggregate, store, distribute, and process VT produce and eggs.

The analysis of the results has been completed and the report and cor-

responding maps are being finalized.

Initial results show that institutions in Vermont are buying some local products, want more, and that there are not only opportunities for farmers to grow for specific markets, but that there are doable improvements that can be made in the food supply chain for institutions to accommodate local food purchasing.

We expect the report will be available on the NOFA Vermont website by mid-September. We will share more of the details and recommendations in the Winter NOFA Notes issue and at the NOFA Vermont Winter Conference in February 2013. 1

Page 7

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NOFA Notes Fall 2012

Recipe: Apple Cider Vinegar

By Vera Simon-Nobes, NOFA Vermont Conference Assistant

A

utumn is a time to remember the many ways we can care for our health during winter months. Apples are a fall and winter staple that provide a burst of flavor and nutrition, and there are about as many uses for apples as there are varieties.

New Englanders have been making Apple Cider Vinegar in the kitchen or barn for generations, using it to stay well throughout the seasons. Folk medicine hails it as a preventative or cure, for humans and livestock, against ailments including pain, cold and flu, infertility, digestive discomfort, headache, dizziness, asthma, arthritis, muscle soreness, allergies, candida, high blood pressure, skin irritation and more.

Apple cider vinegar is packed with vitamins, trace elements, antioxidants, enzymes and minerals, including potassium.

Vermont’s landscape includes many wild and cultivated apples and turning them from fruit to folk medicine is simple.

1 – Start with fresh cider made from ripe apples. Use unpasteurized, if available.

2 – Add the cider to a clean crock, glass or stainless steel container. Only fill it ¾ full so the mixture won’t foam over the top. Keep the container out of direct sunlight and in a room that is between 60-80 degrees Fahrenheit.

The first fermentation is a process of converting sugar to alcohol.

• Either let the natural yeasts in the air and from the fruit ferment the cider, or speed the fermentation process by adding wine yeast.

• Once the cider has finished its first conversion, the second conversion - alcohol to acid - takes place. Again, you can either let the vinegar continue to ferment naturally, or speed the processed by introducing a culture - look for a commercial unpasteurized cider vinegar like Bragg’s withe a jellyfish-like culture floating in it. When exposed to air, this culture converts alcohol to acetic acid, giving vinegar its sour taste. If no starter is added, your cider solution will create its own “mother culture” if the conditions are right, but it may take 4-6 months to reach your desired flavor.

3 – Cover the container with a piece of cloth or a paper towel and use a rubber band to make a tight “lid”. You want to keep dust and insects out while allowing air to enter through the fabric.

Photo by stock.xchng user Hey Hey

4 – Smell and taste the cider daily. You may notice a vinegar-like smell after 3 or 4 weeks. Once it has reached the desired flavor, use a coffee filter or cheesecloth to strain the “mother” out of the mixture to stop the fermentation.

5 – Store the vinegar in airtight containers, out of direct sunlight. Take a teaspoon or two in water once a day, or in warm water with honey. Use in salad dressings, sauces and refrigerator pickles. (Don’t use homemade vinegar for when canning pickled foods because the acidity varies too much).

6 – Start your next batch! You never want to run out of this cure-all remedy. 1 More information: • Cider: Making, Using & Enjoying Sweet & Hard Cider by Annie Proulx and Lewis Nichols (Storey Publishing, 1997) • Vinegar Connoisseurs International: http://www.vinegarman.com • The Vinegar Institute: http://www.versatilevinegar.org • WebMD: http://www.webmd.com/diet/apple-cider-vinegar

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NOFA Notes Fall 2012

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Celebrating Certified Organic, Locally Grown The Vermont Organic Farmers marketing committee and consultant Nicole Fenton of Skillet Design and Marketing are developing materials that promote certified organic, thanks to a Specialty Crop Block Grant. The following from one of the new marketing pieces.

Your choices make a difference! The nearly 600 Vermont farmers and processors that make up Vermont Organic Farmers (VOF) know that local and organic always counts. Here are 5 reasons why: 1. Healthier for You and Your Family

Organic certification standards prohibit synthetic herbicides and pesticides, antibiotics, artificial hormones, and genetically modified organisms.

Minimizing your exposure to these toxins can reduce your risk of cancer and other health problems. Exposure to organophosphate pesticides in the womb has been correlated with lowered IQ scores in children and children fed organic diets have been shown to have fewer pesticides in their bodies.

In addition, organic foods have been shown to have higher levels of beneficial nutrients such as antioxidants and Omega-3 fatty acids.

2. Supports Your Community

On average, organic farms create 21% more jobs than conventional farms, helping to sustain viable communities. Supporting local organic farms keeps money in the local economy and preserves Vermont’s rural character.

3. Better for the Land

Organic farmers protect soil, water, and air quality with practices like crop rotation, cover crops, and composting.

By nourishing the soil, organic farmers sequester carbon, reduce harmful waste runoff, and help ensure that our farmland will continue to be fertile and productive into the future.

4. Tastes Great

Healthy plants and happy animals produce great-tasting food! Plus, local and organic food is raised in accordance with the seasons and using varieties chosen for flavor rather than shelf life - so it naturally tastes fresh, clean, and just like it should!

5. Grown Without GMOs

Buying certified organic is the best way to avoid exposure to genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Organic farmers do not use GMO seeds, plants, or animal feeds, and organic processed foods do not contain GMO ingredients.

Page 10

Learn more about the benefits of certified organic, locally grown at www.nofavt.org/why-organic or call 802-434-3821. 1

NOFAÂ Notes Fall 2012

Since 1932

NOFA-VT Farmer Correspondence Program Seeks Correspondents!

NOFA Vermont’s Farmer Correspondence program matches farmers and classrooms for a winter of letter-writing. Farmers commit to writing four letters over the course of the winter, and classrooms are encouraged to write back.

If you are a farmer, teacher, or homeschooler who would like to participate, contact Abbie Nelson at abbie@nofavt.org or 802-434-4122.

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Fall 2012 New Members & Program Supporters NOFA welcomes the following members who recently joined through VOF certification applications, summer workshops, and other events. Thank you for supporting Vermont organic agriculture!

New & Renewing Business Members

• John Bailey, Sr., Bailey Farm, Craftsbury

• Judith & Frederick Buechner, Wind Gap Farm, Pawlet • John Cummings, Drew’s, LLC, Chester • Randy George & Eliza Cain, Red Hen Bakery, Middlesex • Paul & Elizabeth Harlow, Harlow Farm, Westminster • Jessie Kaplan & Natalie Feldman, Well Dressed Greens, LLC, Burlington • Monte Kennedy, Kennedy Farm, West Charleston • Karen Kennedy MacIsaac, Highland Sugarworks, Inc., Websterville • Teresa & Michael Menard, Menard’s Center Farm, Fairfield • Les Morrison, Morrison’s Custom Feeds, Inc., Barnet • Larry Plesent, Vermont Soapworks, Middlebury • John Pollard, Red Wing Farm, Shrewsbury • Paul Ralston, VT Coffee Company, Middlebury • Earl Ransom & Amy Huyffer, Rockbottom Dairy, LLC, Strafford • Dave Ritchie, Green Mountain Spinnery, Putney • Solari, Inc, MT

• Peter & Virginia Vogel, Spirit Hill Farm, Halifax • Sjon & Elysha Welters, Rhapsody Natural Foods, Inc, Cabot

New Members

• Dave Beckwith, Shakey Ground Farm,

LLC, Charlotte • Lindy Biggs, Montpelier • Will Carmines, Newport • Chris Conte, Dorset • Sophie Esser Calvi, Middlebury College Farm, Middlebury • Thomas Geffers, Bridport • Ginny Kern, Worcester • Bob Lesnikoski, VT Cranberry Company, East Fairfield, VT • Thomas Marrinson & Allison Beach, Hinesburg • Melissa Meece, Burlington • Allison Michalski, NJ • Hilary Mooney, Waitsfield • Danielle Plourde, ME • Melissa & Irwin Post, Chester • Daniel Robershaw, Robertshaw Farm, Bridport • Pat Sagui, Westfield • Lars Shick, NH • Kate Taylor, East Montpelier • Peter & Juliet Thomas, Collins Mtn. Locally Grown, Richmond • Christopher Wilson, West Newbury

Thanks to our recent donors:

• Beverly Gardner, $1,500, Capital Campaign and general support

• West Hill Energy & Computing, $500, for Farm Share Program

Program Grants:

• USDA NIFA, NE Center for Risk

Management Education, $28,153, Training Farmers in Vermont: Improving Farm Viability by Managing Risks Due to Extreme Weather.

• USDA Rural Development, $55,500, Rural Business Enterprise Grant, to expand the online farmers’ market YourFarmstand.com • Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Specialty Crop Block Grant, $17,672.93, Harvest Health Nutrition Incentive Program and Farmers Market Universal Currency Initiative.

Support Vermont Farm Share!

The NOFA Vermont Farm Share Program was established in 1994 to link food producers with food consumers and address issues of food insecurity in Vermont. Farm Share provides subsidized Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) shares for limited income Vermonters, partially offsetting the cost of the CSA share in partnership with the host farm.

This consumer-producer partnership facilitates the distribution of fresh farm products to low-income individuals, who are at the highest risk of poor nutrition and hunger. In 2011, over 1400 Vermonters received Farm Page 12

Share support to purchase a season’s worth of farm-fresh food from nearly 50 farms across the state. These shares leveraged almost $100,000 worth of shares for participating farms.

each year more people are interested in joining the program. 46 families have been placed on a waiting list this year due to a lack of available funds.

Farm Share is primarily supported by the annual fundraiser Share the Harvest, which occurs every year on the first Thursday in October.

Restaurants, stores, and food co-ops statewide donate a percentage of their day’s sales to build funds for Farm Share. (See back page for more information on Share the Harvest.)

Please consider a donation to support Vermont Farm Share. The average Farm Share subsidy of $125 provides fresh, healthy food for 5 people. Your contribution will allow us to bring additional families into the program and exponentially leverage direct sales for Vermont farms.

Due to the success of this program and increased need within the state,

To donate, visit www.nofavt.org or contact the NOFA Vermont office at 802-434-4122. 1

NOFA Notes Fall 2012

NOFA’s CRAFT Pilot Program

By Lynda Prim, NOFA Vermont Vegetable and Fruit Technical Assistance Advisor

F

arm apprenticeship is a traditional way of learning by direct experience, working alongside a farmer who models an approach to the work of managing a farm. This model can be enhanced by collaboration between farms to offer their apprentices diverse experiences. It is also enhanced by the incorporation of formal educational opportunities. It has been the work of NOFA’s pilot CRAFT program to combine these elements of apprenticeship, collaboration, and education to provide an enriched learning community for aspiring farmers in the Rutland area.

The original Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training (CRAFT) group started in the Hudson Valley and Berkshires in New York State in 1994, as a cooperative effort of local organic and biodynamic farms to enhance educational opportunities for farm apprentices.

laboration with the GMC Food and Farm Program is the opportunity to explore the relationship between a sustainable agriculture curriculum and apprentice training. This partnership between NOFA-VT, GMC and area farms is a chance to look at how apprenticeship can combine with classroom learning to produce beginning farmers with the skills and confidence to run a farm business.

In addition, piloting CRAFT in the Rutland area allowed us to continue our collaboration with RAFFL, which has been cultivating farm connections over the past few years.

The CRAFT Learning Community

A good apprenticeship can provide concrete skills as well as inspiration to a would-be farmer. What makes a CRAFT Apprenticeship different is the extra effort of the mentor farms to provide educational opportunities beyond their farm gate.

The CRAFT model gives apprentices the opportunity to make connections and build a network with their peers.

In 2010 and 2011, NOFA-VT partnered with the Rutland Area Farm and Food Link (RAFFL) to hold beginner farmer and apprentice workshops in southwest Vermont with funding from a Specialty Crop Block Grant. In 2011, NOFA Vermont received funding through a USDA Beginning Farmer & Rancher Development Program grant, in collaboration with the New Farmer Project administered by UVM, to pilot a project for advanced apprenticeship learning that more closely resembles the original CRAFT model.

The beauty of doing the first year of the CRAFT Pilot Project in colNOFA Notes Fall 2012

This collaborative effort on the part of the participating farms creates a broader experience for the apprentices. In addition, the CRAFT model gives apprentices the opportunity to make connections and build a network with their peers who are also involved in learning the skills for beginning a sustainable farm.

This first year of the CRAFT Pilot Project includes ten advanced apprentices from the GMC Food and Farm Program and five farms. Apprentices from each of the participating mentor farms gather on one of the farms every two weeks, at a time that works for the individual farm’s schedule.

Each visit includes an overview of the farm as well as a workshop on one or two specific topics followed by a potluck meal and social. At the end of the season there will be a final gathering to discuss our impressions of the season and some possible next steps to help bring apprentices closer to farming on their own.

As the coordinator of the CRAFT Pilot Project, I have been impressed by the capacities and skills that each of these apprentices brings to the CRAFT experience. Each of them, in their own way, seems to have the “calling” to the time-honored vocation of farming and a strong, heartfelt impulse for restoring agriculture as the foundation of well being and health for ourselves, our communities, and the planet.

They share a keen interest in redefining economics so that farming enterprises can sustain the farmer while improving conditions for the whole.

Maybe this “hand-picked” group of apprentices is unique. Certainly they have been well prepared for apprenticeship by their educational experience at GMC. In addition, this group of farms and their apprentices are contributing important knowledge to our understanding of what makes a good apprenticeship – one of the goals of the CRAFT Pilot Project. In the next two years, we hope to bring the project to other Vermont farming communities.

In the long run, we hope to learn more about what makes an apprenticeship work well, and thereby improve the apprentice experience for all farmers and apprentices. 1 For more information, contact Lynda Prim at lynda@nofavt.org or 802-434-4122.

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NOFA Notes Fall 2012

Carlo Comandini from Urbino, Italy making some of his famous cotechino.

This May NOFA-VT helped organize a group of Vermont farmers, butchers, chefs, and distributors to take a learning journey to Italy to explore the traditional value-added meat industry.

Cal Bianchino, the farm where Carlo and his partner Gigia raise heritage-breed Cinta Sienese pigs for traditionally-cured meat products was one of the site visits.

In July we were able to bring them over for a multi-day workshop on Italian butchery where farmers, chefs and others were able to learn about old world techniques for making fresh sausage and cured meat products including salami, prosciutto, and more.

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Complete this form & mail to: NOFA, PO Box 697, Richmond, VT 05477 - or join online at nofavt.org!

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NOFA Notes Fall 2012

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Share the Harvest October 4!

Join us on Thursday, October 4, 2012 for Share the Harvest, and support local farms and local families.

Share the Harvest is the annual fundraiser for the NOFA Vermont Farm Share Program, which provides subsidized CSA shares for limited-income Vermont families. On October 4, restaurants and food stores statewide will donate a portion of their day’s proceeds to Farm Share.

Enjoy a good meal and support a great cause by participating in Share the Harvest on October 4.

For more information, including a list of participating businesses, visit www.nofavt.org/STH or call the NOFA Vermont office at 802-434-4122.

You can also make a donation directly to the Farm Share program online or by contactng the office.

Thanks for your support!

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