Salvation Farms outlines plan for Morrisville processing hub to turn farm surplus into institutional food

Salvation Farms told the Senate Agriculture panel on March 18 that it has secured a lease on a site in downtown Morrisville and is building a processing hub to collect and minimally process agricultural surplus so local farms can sell seconds and institutions can buy affordable, local produce.

"Our mission is to build resilience in the food system through agricultural surplus management," Kelly Dolan, executive director of Salvation Farms, said in testimony. Dolan said the organization received a $500,000 state appropriation in 2023 to establish the hub, and has also received a grant award from the Northern Borders Regional Commission.

The hub will aggregate farm “seconds” and minimally process products — using individual quick-freeze (IQF) flash-freezing and packaging rather than freeze-drying — so schools, the Department of Corrections, Meals on Wheels programs and charitable food sites can use single-ingredient items with no added sodium or sugar. Kim Lipinski, director of nutrition and wellness at the Central Vermont Council on Aging, said the minimally processed products make it easier for meal programs…