Rebecca Ross, director of Agricultural Development at the Department of Agriculture, Markets and Food, described programs that support producers and connect them to markets. Ross outlined competitive specialty‑crop block grants administered under USDA allocations, local food‑to‑schools and local food purchase assistance programs, and outreach and marketing work to promote New Hampshire‑produced goods.

Ross said the specialty‑crop grants support projects such as education, research, and farm‑to‑institution initiatives, and that the department manages multiple overlapping multi‑year projects each federal cycle. The local food to schools program — now expanded to include early childhood centers — and the local food purchase assistance program are federally funded and will be re‑funded for three additional years; both programs route federal dollars to help institutions buy local produce.

The division supports the state’s Big E building in Springfield, Mass., which provides a major promotional platform during a 17‑day exposition, and Ross said the department is contracting for a local‑product branding initiative in the coming months. She also described a Market Bulletin publication and outreach efforts, and encouraged members to sign up for electronic updates.

Ross said the division measures some metrics (grant reporting, ad engagement) and is working to expand web analytics to better track whether programs stem farm openings or changes in production; she noted that stabilizing and growing the state’s farm base is a long‑term objective and that the division will improve outcome metrics in coming months.