By Christine McGowan, Forest Program Director, Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund Vermonters have a long history of heating with wood, and most of us know there is nothing like the warmth of a well-stoked wood stove on a cold winter night. It is only in recent years,...
By Christine McGowan, Forest Program Director, Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund “Buy local” is a common refrain around Vermont, and many of us feel good about supporting small, independently-owned businesses, farms and restaurants around the state. For Peggy Farabaugh, owner of Vermont Woods Studios in Vernon, the...
Over 250 members of the Vermont Farm to Plate Network convened November 1-2, 2018 at the eighth annual Farm to Plate Gathering in Killington where it was announced that local food and beverage consumption in 2017 by Vermonters increased to 12.9 percent, surpassing a 2020...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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