Vermont advocates ask Senate education committee to keep $500,000 in Farm-to-School and Local Food grants; defend universal school meals

Betsy Rosenbluth, the farm-to-school director at Shelburne Farms, told the Vermont Senate Education Committee on Feb. 12 that the state should keep level funding of $500,000 for both the Farm to School and Early Childhood Grants and the Local Food Incentive program.

"Every Vermonter should have access to the nourishing food that we produce in this state and every child should have that nourishing food on their lunch tray," Rosenbluth said, describing the programs’ goal of pairing local purchasing with food education in classrooms and cafeterias.

The testimony centered on three linked efforts: the state grant program that Rosenbluth called the Rosa McLaughlin Farm to School grant program, the Local Food Incentive that pays schools per lunch when they hit local-purchasing thresholds, and Vermont’s Universal School Meals policy. Rosenbluth and representatives from the Agency of Agriculture and school food service directors described a cycle in which universal meals increase participation, giving food-service programs revenue and flexibility to buy more locally produced items.

Why it matters: Committee witnesses said funding helps schools buy local food and sustain hands-on learning. Gina Clitherow, farm-to-institution program manager for the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets, told the committee that the Farm to School and Early Childhood Grants began after passage of the Lewis and McLaughlin Farm to School Act in 2006 and have since awarded more than 300 grants totaling about $2.3 million. She said the agency awarded 73 grants in the most recent fiscal year and that grant projects reach schools and early-childhood programs in nearly every county.

School-based examples: Shrewsbury Mountain School teacher Sabrina McDonough described how a grant helped redesign a school garden so every classroom has a bed and the school could add an orchard and compost system. Students from Shrewsbury and other schools spoke to the committee about composting, orchards and cooking projects they said strengthened school-community ties and provided hands-on learning.

Reeve Basem, place-based education coordinator at the Center for an Agricultural Economy in Hardwick, described a high-school class called Recipe for Human Connection that prepares a monthly community meal serving about 100 people. Basem said grants helped pay for field trips, kitchen equipment and local-ingredient purchases used in that class.

Program details and uptake: Clitherow and other witnesses described the Local Food Incentive tiers as paying 15¢, 20¢ or 25¢ per lunch for food-service authorities that document 15%, 20% or 25% Vermont-sourced purchasing. She said about two-thirds of school food authorities have engaged with the incentive and that last year subsequent-year grantees reported a roughly 3-to-1 increase in additional local purchasing for each grant dollar. The agency reported awarding $384,818 in grant funds through the programs in the most recent cycle and said last year’s local-food grantees reported about $1.2 million in local-food purchases.

Food-system logistics: Committee members asked why local food sometimes costs more. Rosenbluth and agency staff replied that seasonal supply, additional processing, and delivery logistics can raise costs compared with large national distributors; regional food hubs and distributors are working to aggregate and deliver Vermont products to schools. Witnesses said the USDA awarded a one-time $1.2 million grant to expand local-food purchasing for schools and childcare programs; that funding will flow through food hubs to reach more institutions.

Support for universal meals: Robert Hildebrand, a food-service director with the Abbey Group who runs multiple supervisory unions’ programs, urged the committee to oppose the governor’s proposed repeal of Vermont’s universal school meals. Hildebrand said universal meals increase participation, boost the program’s ability to buy local foods and reduce stigma for students. He said his districts increased Vermont purchases to about $52,000 last year, or roughly 18% of food purchases.

Outlook and gaps: Agency staff acknowledged uneven geographic uptake; they flagged Grand Isle and Essex counties as having received no grants in the past cycle and identified Bennington and Rutland areas as targets for outreach. Clitherow said the agency uses competitive review to award grants and is working with regional partners and food hubs to expand participation.

What the committee heard but did not decide: Testimony focused on funding and program performance; the committee did not take a formal vote during the hearing. Witnesses provided data and examples but did not offer an agreed legislative change to the programs.

The committee will review budget proposals and testimony in coming weeks as it considers the governor’s fiscal year 2026 budget and any proposed changes to universal school meals.