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Vermont advocates urge $500,000 level funding for Farm to School and Local Foods Incentive
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Summary
Students, farmers, school nutrition directors and a baker told the state committee on Agriculture, Food Resiliency, & Forestry that level funding of $500,000 each for the Farm to School and Early Childhood Grants program and the Local Foods Incentive in FY2027 would boost local procurement, support farmers and sustain universal school meals.
Advocates, students, school food directors and local producers asked the state’s Committee on Agriculture, Food Resiliency, & Forestry on Friday to restore and hold steady funding for two programs that channel Vermont-grown food into school cafeterias.
Kayla, the farm-to-institution program director at the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont, told the committee the Farm to School and Early Childhood Grants program and the Local Foods Incentive together help schools build procurement capacity and keep food dollars in-state. "We are here today to ask for level funding of two critical programs in FY '27, the Farm to School and Early Childhood Grants program and the Local Foods Incentive, both at $500,000," she said. She added that the programs help connect classroom learning, cafeteria meals and community food systems, and noted local purchasing in schools had grown from about 5% to 14% statewide over the past decade.
The network’s request comes as Vermont continues five years of universal school meals, a policy the witnesses said increases participation and revenue that schools can use to buy more local foods. Kayla said the network’s goal is to reach 30% local purchasing in schools by 2030 and that the grants and incentive together support that trajectory.
Students from Champlain-based programs described the hands-on benefits of Farm to School programming. Yvonne Meisler, a student organizer involved with her school’s Farm to School club, said the program expanded leadership and technical skills and connected her with local agriculture: "It was the single best decision I've ever made in high school," she said, and urged the committee to "support the continued base funding of $500,000 for each" program.
Ian Rose, food service director for Windsor Southeast Supervisory Union, told the committee his district serves roughly 1,100 students and prioritizes scratch cooking and locally sourced items where possible. Rose described menu changes and procurement choices that increased local purchasing to about 25% in his district, up from roughly 15% when he began. He shared written comments from parents, including one that said, "For Truman, food is communication and connection," describing how daily access to fresh produce helps a nonspeaking autistic student participate in school lunches.
Several lawmakers asked operational questions about procurement, vendor networks and the effect of top-down rules. Representative Bausch referenced other states’ efforts to limit ultra-processed foods in school menus and said she was considering similar legislation; Rose said procurement rules can prompt vendors and distributors to change their product mixes, which makes it easier for schools to serve less-processed, locally sourced foods.
Emily Dumont, a regenerative beef farmer and former school nurse, told the committee that stable, well-balanced meals "particularly meals that included quality protein" can support more stable blood sugars and reduce classroom disruptions for students with medical needs. She said reliable school markets give farmers the confidence to plan production that meets schools’ needs.
Randy George of Red Hen Baking Company described nearly two decades of supplying local schools and said Farm to School grants have helped the bakery develop school-specific breads that use a significant portion of Vermont-grown wheat. He said the bakery is expanding and will retain its public-facing cafe while moving to a larger production space.
Carol Kennett, a school nutrition director, described partnerships that process surplus produce — for example, pumpkins — into frozen mash that schools can buy at fair prices, a practice that simultaneously reduces waste and supports farmers.
No formal vote was taken. Witnesses and committee members said Agency of Education and Agency of Agriculture reports on last year’s data will be available later in the winter and that staff could return with additional details if requested. The witnesses asked the committee to include level base appropriations of $500,000 in the FY2027 budget for each program.
