Projects

Farm to Plate Network

Welcome to the Farm to Plate Network!

With 25 goals in the Farm to Plate Strategic Plan there’s a lot of work to be done over the next 10 years. No single farm, business, nonprofit organization or state agency is going to be able to pull this off on our own. We need everyone working together in a more coordinated way, if we’re going to be successful. To that end, the F2P Network is the vehicle for coordinated action among food system stakeholders.

The F2P Network is made up of many organizations, businesses, and agencies working together to implement the Farm to Plate Strategic Plan. Working Groups have already been formed and have started to coordinate their actions around six key leverage areas:

Consumer Education and Marketing;
Education and Workforce Development;
Farmland Access and Land Use;
Aggregation and Distribution;
Dairy Development;
Technical Assistance for Producers and Processors

The purpose of the F2P Network is to coordinate action among organizations across Vermont to achieve the 25 goals outlined in the F2P Strategic Plan, and to enhance the ability of participating organizations to meet their goals. Membership in the Network is open to all farms, food enterprises, and food system related trade associations, coops, public agencies, nonprofit organizations, private funders, and community groups. F2P Network members agree to work towards the F2P’s 25 goals, share information, and participate in at least one Working Group, Task Force or Crosscutting Team.

Steering Committee Members:

Chuck Ross, Secretary of Agriculture
Lawrence Miller, Secretary of Commerce
Len Bull, Vermont Agriculture Development Board
Stacy Burnstein, Vermont Food Funders Network
Jane Clifford, Chair, Dairy Development Working Group
Dan Smith, Co-Chair, Education and Workforce Development Working Group
Ela Chapin, Chair, Technical Assistance to Producers and Processors Working Group
Tara Kelly, Chair, Aggregation and Distribution Working Group
Jill Arace, Co-Chair, Farmland Access and Land Use Working Group
Cheryl King Fischer, Co-Chair, Consumer Education and Marketing Working Group

Network Coordinators:

Erica Campbell, Farm to Plate Program Director
Ellen Kahler, VSJF Executive Director

If you'd like to learn more about the Network or sign up for a Working Group, please contact Erica at farm2plate[at]vsjf.org or call 802-828-3745.

F2P Network Launched at Two Day Conference

On October 3 and 4, 2011, Governor Peter Shumlin, state agency administrators, and about 150 food system leaders from across the state met to launch the Farm to Plate Network. The two day gathering was facilitated by Beth Tener and Curtis Ogden whom we have engaged as network development trainers. On October 3rd, participants heard from Governor Shumlin, Secretary Chuck Ross, and Secretary Lawrence Miller about the Administration's commitment to supporting the implementation of the F2P Plan. Representatives from Vermont's Congressional delegation talked about the status of the 2012 Farm Bill. And participants learned about the importance and proper functioning of networks.

Small group discussion at F2P Network Gathering

The next day, food system leaders spent most of the day in Working Groups and Cross-Cutting Teams, rolling up their sleeves to begin the important work of developing a game plan and timeline for implementing high priority strategies, tracking our combined progress over time towards the 25 goals, and developing the financial resources needed to do this work.

Check out the blog report from Curtis at the Interaction Institute!
View press coverage by Lyndon State College!
Read VT Digger's article about the F2P Network Gathering!

Watch the short videos below as F2P Networkers talk about the strengths and attributes of Vermont's local food networks and collaborations.