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RAFFL has been invited and India is planning to attend. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Annette Higby" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Friday, January 22, 2010 3:35 PM Subject: Re: Article on VT New Farmer Cultivation/legislative efforts/networking > Should we at the very least invite RAFFL and Ellen Kahler to our next NFN > meeting? > > I hope to be there by the way. > > Annette > > -----Original Message----- > From: Vermont New Farmer Network [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On > Behalf Of Ewetopia > Sent: Thursday, January 21, 2010 6:37 AM > To: [log in to unmask] > Subject: Article on VT New Farmer Cultivation/legislative > efforts/networking > > Vermont cultivating new crop: Farmers > This is an article that appeared Sunday in "The Rutland Herald" about new > farmer efforts by RAFFL and also about Farm-to-Plate. I wasn't really > clear > > from the quote of Will Stevens in the article what he meant exactly by > "... > told the group he would speak to the legislative leadership about > developing > > such a program."? Specifically, what did he mean by "such a program" > mean? > The article also begs the question, should this listserve opened up to > beginner farmers? Or a new list? Or form a Facebook group? This could > all > > be done easily without money. Maybe something to discuss here and/or at > the > > February meeting? > > Mike Ghia > > > http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_action=print > > Rutland Herald & Times Argus > Archives > THIS STORY HAS BEEN FORMATTED FOR EASY PRINTING > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > ---- > > The article you requested is displayed below. > > > Vermont cultivating new crop: Farmers > Author(s): STEPHANIE M. PETERS > > STAFF WRITER Date: January 17, 2010 Section: NEWS04 > What does it take for someone who's interesting in farming to get > their business off the ground in Vermont? Over its five-year lifetime, the > Rutland Area Food and Farm Link has informally considered this question as > it has helped young farmers establish relationships with their more > experienced peers, directed retailers searching for local products to area > growers, and sought out space for an incubator farm. > > Last fall, however, to better quantify the interest in farming and > associated needs, the organization put out a call to find out how many > "new > farmers" are out there, holding a packed mixer in downtown Rutland in > November. More than half of those who turned out were faces unfamiliar to > the group's staff, according to Executive Director Tara Kelly. > > Her organization isn't the only one asking the question, however. > > The Farm to Plate Initiative, an offshoot of the Vermont Sustainable > Jobs Fund, has made the issue of "growing" new farmers one of the pillars > of > > its research. The initiative was established after the passage during the > last legislative session of Act 54, calling for the development of a > 10-year > > plan for strengthening the state's farm and food system. > > The organization began touring each of the state's counties in the > fall, asking the agricultural community to weigh in on questions ranging > from what resources new farmers need to what can be done to better promote > and distribute locally grown foods. > > A full report is due to the Legislature by July, but the group > working > > on the project expects the research phase will continue through the > spring, > according to Ellen Kahler, the jobs fund's executive director. The final > county food summit was scheduled for Friday in Brattleboro. > > Needs emerge > > Although the feedback the Farm to Plate Initiative has received is in > its raw stages, and much of it is anecdotal or the product of > brainstorming > sessions, some clear needs of new farmers are emerging, according to Kit > Perkins, Farm to Plate project coordinator. > > Among them: access to land and equipment; capital that can be tapped > without extensive credit or business plans, both of which take time to > cultivate and which go hand-in-hand when approaching lenders; viability > around the price growers can get for their products; and mentorship. > > "Many people are getting into it with absolutely no farming > background, instead making the choice out of a love for the outdoors, a > love > > of growing, feeding people or being their own bosses," said Perkins, who > has > > facilitated each of the roundtable sessions for new farmers. "There's a > real > > soul connection to food, and to actually grow it is really satisfying for > farmers." > > According to Perkins, one of the first roadblocks is access to land. > For instance, many of the available parcels are too large for someone just > starting out to either manage or afford, which is where incubator farms > like > > the Intervale Center in Burlington become valuable resources. Perkins is a > former executive director there. > > "Leases are OK, they can work really well, but again there's no > equity > > being built," she said. > > With incubators, growers who are looking to move on can sell their > share and take that equity with them, she said. > > Another arrangement growing in popularity is private landowners' > leasing some of their acreage to aspiring farmers, Perkins said. Several > agricultural groups in the state have taken to surveying private > landowners > to determine interest in those types of deals, she said. > > Networks and money > > At the new farmer roundtable at the Dec. 8 Addison County Food Summit > in Middlebury, each of these issues was brought up by the eclectic group > of > educators, farmers, nonprofit employees and young people who are trying to > crack the industry. > > After nearly an hour of batting about their own experiences and > desires, the two assets the group thought would be most critical to new > farmers didn't focus directly on the land problem. > > Galen Helms, a 20-year-old who has experienced four growing seasons > as > > an apprentice at Last Resort Farm in Monkton, suggested the development of > Farmbook.org, a farmer-centric Web site that he envisions will not only > allow farmers to connect with each other, but assemble in one place a list > of resources ranging from feed or fertilizer to financing. > > "It's going to happen. It needs to happen," he said to the group. > > The group also liked the idea of microloans or revolving lending for > farming, noting that in that scenario "success breeds success." > > Will Stevens, a state representative from Shoreham who owns and > operates Golden Russet Farm with his wife, told the group he would speak > to > the legislative leadership about developing such a program. > > Who they are > > According to Kelly of the Rutland Area Food and Farm Link, farmers in > Rutland County are expressing similar needs, for which the organization > will > > continue to brainstorm ways to provide assistance. > > Kelly said she and India Burnett Farmer, program director for the > organization, were also encouraged by what they heard at the Rutland > County > Food Summit, which took place Nov. 12 at Green Mountain College. > > The "questions they're asking and the information they're uncovering > essentially confirms the work we've been doing," Kelly said. > > So what does the landscape of new farmers in Rutland County look > like? > > About 35 people returned a survey from the November mixer asking them > to categorize themselves and describe their needs. Of those, about half > characterized themselves as new farmers, while the rest saw themselves as > farm workers who hoped at some point to break out on their own. > > The average length of time they'd been growing was three and a half > years. > > While a few were focusing on dairy, the majority considered > themselves > > diversified farmers producing a mix of vegetables, meat and fruit. Several > expressed interest in exploring niche markets like grains, honey or fiber. > > Most said they work another job in addition to farming, although a > few > > described themselves as full-time farmers, according to Burnett Farmer. > > Burnett Farmer described the mixer as "just the kickoff" of the > effort > > the organization will direct to cultivating new farming businesses. > Although > > planning is still under way, one small step the group took last month was > to > > direct new farmers toward farm business planning classes being offered in > Rutland this winter by University of Vermont Extension. > > They're also looking forward to the unveiling of the Farm to Plate > Initiative's recommendations to the Legislature, for which a statewide > summit is expected in the fall, according to Kahler. She and Perkins > encourage anyone wishing to comment on what's working and what's not in > Vermont's farm and food system to contact them at [log in to unmask] > > "There's all this interest and all these people coming to local food, > and they all get it from different perspectives," Kahler said. "But there > are also an awful lot of folks who haven't (been exposed to local foods) > yet." > > [log in to unmask] > > > > Technical problems: If you have a technical problem with your account > please e-mail [log in to unmask] > > > > Copyright, 2010, Rutland Herald >