UVM Food Feed

Posted by Guest Author | September 3, 2015

By Olivia Peña

We see the pledge all over campus at the University of Vermont—20% Real Food by 2020. It’s indicated in dining halls across campus, advertised on the tables on which we eat, researched in food systems courses, and the guiding principle behind almost half of the food at Brennan’s Pub. However, despite the vast amounts of outreach regarding UVM’s commitment to a more sustainable on-campus food system, many students and university members are unfamiliar with what exactly our Real Food Challenge pledge signifies. Many misconceptions exist throughout campus surrounding the vow to increased food that is ecologically sound, fair, humane, and local. Here are some myths that circulate throughout the campus concerning University of Vermont’s commitment to real food. Continue reading →

Posted in Economic, Environmental, Health, Social, UVM | 1 Comment

GMFTS Helps SNAP Recipients Get Fresh

Posted by Guest Author | August 31, 2015

by Katherine Sims

There’s great news for Vermont families participating in 3SquaresVT: Green Mountain Farm-to-School (GMFTS) is piloting a program that will allow participating Orleans and Essex county residents to buy fresh fruits and vegetables this fall and winter. The Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Coupon Program will be offered at five Northeast Kingdom grocery stores: Kingdom Market in Island Pond, Vista Foods in Newport, Craftsbury General Store, C&C Market in Barton, and Ray’s Market in Irasburg.

“Through the Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Coupon Program, we want to improve access to healthy foods for low-income residents and encourage them to choose the fresh vegetable and fruit option while shopping in their local grocery stores,” says Becca Mitchell, consumer education coordinator at GMFTS. Families who received a letter from the Economic Services Division of Vermont can get their coupon book during scheduled pick-up times starting September 1, 2015, and they’ll have until February 29, 2016, to redeem the coupons for fresh fruits and vegetables. Continue reading →

Posted in Economic, Health, Social | Leave a comment

A week on the farm: Fall bounty and the launch of our mobile market

Posted by Guest Author | August 28, 2015

by Molly Leebove, UVM Farmer Training Program Staff

Fridays throughout the growing season, we will post a few photos from the past week at UVM’s Catamount Educational Farm and the UVM Farmer Training Program. From these you will get a glimpse of the farm season as it unfolds and witness the evolution of these aspiring farmers as they grow into bonafide farmers.

Posted in UVM | Tagged farmer training program | Leave a comment

A Marine Veteran finds his calling in Organic farming

Posted by Erica Houskeeper | August 24, 2015

Andy Lang first became aware of the importance of local food while helping his girlfriend build a juice truck in his home state of Missouri.

Getting fresh fruits and vegetables to make watermelon, blueberry, or carrot juice was easy enough in the summer. But in the colder months, finding local produce was nearly impossible, making it challenging for Lang’s girlfriend to run the business.

“I saw how hard it was for her to find fresh organic produce for juices, especially in the winter,” says Lang, 38, now a student in the UVM Farmer Training Program, a six-month program that draws about 25 students per year. “All of this stuff to make juice had to come from outside of the country in the winter, and that just didn’t seem right. Working with her really opened my eyes, and I wanted to do something about it.”

Lang began in May the Farmer Training Program to learn about organic vegetable farming. While he’s had a lifelong interest in home gardening, his path to farming has been anything but linear. Continue reading →

Posted in Environmental, Social, UVM | Tagged farmer training program | Leave a comment

DARK Act Passes House, Puts Blinders on Our Right to Know

Posted by Guest Author | August 19, 2015

by Maddie Monty, NOFA Vermont

On July 23^rd, the House of Representatives passed bill H.R. 1599 by a margin of 275 to 150. This bill, backed primarily by House Republicans, has been given two names. Cleverly branded by its sponsors as the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act, the bill has instead become widely known to the national Food Movement as the Deny Americans the Right to Know (DARK) Act.

Despite its benevolent title, farmer and consumer groups have seen the DARK Act for what it is: a direct attack on mandatory GMO labeling laws passed by Vermont, Connecticut, and Maine in recent years and an effort to undermine consumers’ demand for information about the food they eat. Continue reading →