Vermont presenters outline Farm to Plate Investment Program, funding mix and institutional procurement barriers

Jake Claro, director of Farm to Plate at the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund, told a legislative committee that the Farm to Plate Investment Program is established in state law and guides a new 10‑year strategic plan for Vermont’s agriculture and food system. "The investment program is in Vermont statute. So you can find it, title 10, in subsection 330," Claro said, introducing an overview of the program’s goals, structure and recent outcomes.

The presenters said the plan — a statewide, stakeholder-driven blueprint first enacted in 2009 and reauthorized in 2019 — links economic development, jobs, climate resiliency and food access. "We are in the 2nd 10‑year phase of having a food system plan here in Vermont," Ellen Taylor, executive director of the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund, said during the briefing, adding that the updated plan explicitly includes environmental and climate‑resiliency goals in addition to the program’s long‑standing economic and food‑access objectives.

Nut graf: The Farm to Plate Investment Program combines a legislated mandate, a network of private‑sector and public contributors, and multiple funding streams to support processing, distribution and other food‑system investments across Vermont. Presenters told lawmakers the plan is intended to guide state and federal spending, inform working‑lands grants and coordinate actions that support farmers, food businesses and institutions.

Presenters outlined results and measurements from the first decade and the early years of the second. According to the presentation, Vermont’s food‑system economic output rose from about $7.6 billion to almost $12 billion between 2010 and 2020; food‑system employment added roughly 6,200 net new jobs in that period and now directly employs more than 65,000 Vermonters. Local food purchasing estimates rose from $114 million to $371 million, a level the presenters said represents “more than 10%” of statewide food purchases.

Funding and administration: Speakers described the program’s funding mix and the limits of the statute. "There is no guarantee of funding in the statute," Claro said, noting that the Jobs Fund can step away from administering the program if the legislature does not appropriate at least $100,000. Ellen Taylor and other presenters said there is an annual base appropriation routed through the Agency of Agriculture; that base was increased from $100,000 to $200,000 two years ago, they said, but the program’s project budget is about $1 million overall. Jake Claro provided a more detailed breakdown: "More than 50% of our total funding is coming from foundations, 30% is state...13% is roughly federal...and then 5% fee for service and sponsorships."

How the plan was developed and how it is used: Presenters said the current plan was built with input from about 1,500 Vermonters, including 163 expert contributors and roughly 120 producer focus‑group participants. The plan contains 54 short product, market and issue briefs and 34 priority strategies that synthesize recommendations. Abby Willard, director of the Ag Development Division at the Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets, described the agency’s role in reviewing the briefs and participating throughout the drafting process.

Implementation and linkages: Presenters said the strategic plan has been used to inform other state efforts including the Governor’s Future of Ag Commission, the Working Lands Enterprise Board’s investment priorities, and elements of the Climate Action Plan. They told the committee that roughly $63 million in state and federal funds in 2022–23 were directed to strategies aligned with the plan’s priorities.

Distribution and retail barriers: Presenters and lawmakers discussed bottlenecks in getting Vermont products into larger grocery chains and institutional markets. Presenters cited distribution consolidation and the costs and logistical demands on small producers — such as paying for shelf space, managing store inventory and meeting distributor scale requirements — as recurring barriers that the plan’s priority strategies seek to address.

Farm‑to‑institution example: Presenters described a pilot using approximately $16,000 in dairy marketing funds to support provision of regional fluid milk at all six state correctional facilities. Abby Willard said the grant covered equipment and storage needs; she said many facilities lacked refrigeration or kitchen infrastructure, rather than willingness, to receive fluid milk. "Previously they were drinking reconstituted powdered milk from Texas," Willard said, and the regional fluid milk improved morale and nutrition at facilities where it was implemented.

Next steps and resources: Presenters told the committee they will return for deeper briefings and that the full slide deck and a PDF of the plan have been provided to committee members. Ellen Taylor invited members to a field visit to YARCA, a retail example she said sources almost exclusively Vermont food.

Ending: Presenters recommended the committee use the plan’s goals and the two‑page briefs as a reference when evaluating programs and funding. They said the network and the plan are intended to move beyond planning toward targeted investments and implementation.

Quotes used in this article come from presenters identified in the meeting transcript and are attributed to the speakers shown in the committee record.