• Realizing a Dream on a Small Dairy: Gammelgården Creamery

    By Jake Claro, Farm to Plate Director Owning and operating a small dairy had long been a dream when Stina Kutzer received a beautiful Jersey calf named Babette for her birthday in 2004. Stina had worked with dairy cows throughout her adult life and with milk...

  • DeltaClimeVT to welcome its second climate economy business cohort

    Eight climate solution entrepreneurs set to participate in business accelerator to help solve agriculture and food technology challenges while honing business models for success in the marketplace South Burlington, Vt. – Eight entrepreneurial start-up companies will convene tomorrow at the Ben & Jerry’s headquarters for their...

  • A Story of Respect and Resilience

    By Jake Claro, Vermont Farm to Plate Director One of the first things you notice at Molly Brook Farm is that Rhonda and Myles Goodrich call every single one of their 77 cows by name. “Move along Clover,” or “this way Charlotte” is heard in the...

  • Snug Valley Farm Finds Success in its Story

    By Jake Claro, Farm to Plate Director Vermont continues to lose dairy farms at a devastating rate – as of July the state had lost 66 this year alone. As dairy farmers struggle with whether or not they can survive in their current industry many look...

  • Teaching the Trade: Vermont Schools Train the Next Generation of Loggers, Foresters, Builders, and Artists

    By Christine McGowan, forest program director, Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund Like many trade occupations, woodworking was traditionally passed along from mentor to apprentice, one generation to the next. Young adults might have been introduced to the fundamentals of woodworking in high school shop class, producing the...

  • The Face of Farming: Root Crops Abound at Burnt Rock Farm

    By Ellen Kahler The following is the first installment in Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund’s Face of Farming Series. The series will profile a variety of farmers throughout Vermont who are employing best practices, implementing innovative approaches and who together represent the evolving face of Vermont’s agricultural...

  • Lucas Jenson Makes the Case for Local Wood

    By Christine McGowan, Forest Program Director, Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund People in the forest products industry find their way to wood in different ways. For some, it’s a part of their family DNA. For others, it’s a passion. For Lucas Jenson, owner of The Tree House...

  • A Tale of Two Luthiers

    By Christine McGowan In the hip city of Burlington, Creston Lea builds one of a kind electric guitars, while in southern Vermont, Douglas Cox turns out violins for classical musicians around the world. Creston Lea and Douglas Cox live about as far apart as two Vermonters can...

  • Building a Network to Create a New Forest Culture in Vermont

    By Christine McGowan As development creeps into our rural landscapes and woodlot ownership changes hands, our forests face an uncertain future. Vermonters value working landscapes, but do they value the work it takes to keep these landscapes intact? Not unlike other Vermont business sectors, our forest...

  • Landowners are Essential Partner in Vermont’s Forest Products Economy

    By Christine McGowan, Forest Program Director, Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund From urban forests to thousand-acre parcels, Vermonters own 80% of the state’s forested land. Vermont’s forests are one of our greatest natural resources, contributing to the economy through industry and recreation to the tune of $3.4 billion,...

  • Morgan Casella: Business accelerators provide a step up for startups

    This commentary is by Morgan Casella, who is the CEO of Dynamic Organics.  It appeared on VTDigger.com on 5/16/18 Dynamic Organics is a small business headquartered in Putney that is dedicated to the design, development and operation of renewable energy and efficiency projects. When my business partner...

  • Joel Currier and His Forwarder, Ingrid

    By Christine McGowan, Forest Program Director, Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund Northeast Kingdom logger models responsible forestry with small-scale, low-impact logging. “Good forestry equipment does not have to be big and heavy,” says Joel Currier, owner of Currier Forest Products in Danville, Vermont. “There are big operations doing...