Salvation Farms asks Senate for $100,000 to expand processing of farm surplus into meals

Salvation Farms on Wednesday asked the Vermont Senate Agriculture Committee for $100,000 in operating support to expand a processing program that turns surplus farm produce into frozen, ready-to-use products for schools, prisons and charitable food programs.

Kelly Dolan, the executive director of Salvation Farms, told the committee the nonprofit works "at the intersection of farm viability and food access" and that surplus food is often "high quality food grown from people that isn't reaching traditional markets." She cited the organization's estimate that "about 14.3 million pounds of vegetables and berries from Vermont farms end up as food loss each year." Dolan said Salvation Farms’ model purchases surplus at a lower price point, contracts processing and then sells the finished product to institutions at a lower cost to meet restrictive budgets.

Why it matters: Committee members and staff framed the program as a dual-market solution that both creates a modest revenue stream for farms and supplies institutions and charitable programs with locally produced food that would otherwise be lost to the field.

Dolan described the program’s reach and partners: the organization’s gleaning and collective work mobilizes volunteers and recovers large volumes of produce for charitable distribution; the processing program is designed to generate paid markets so producers receive some payment for surplus that otherwise would be wasted. "This program is meant to address barriers to local food or charitable food programs and the most vulnerable within our state, including affordability," she said.

Operational and financial details: Dolan asked the committee to consider a $100,000 Senate appropriation to support startup operations after saying the House committee included $50,000 in a budget memo but the request did not make it into the House’s full budget. She said Salvation Farms expects about $125,000 in revenue in year one but anticipates first-year expenses of "about $325,000," highlighting a potential funding gap during launch.

Dolan and John Ramsey, executive director of the Center for an Agricultural Economy, outlined a planned renovation at the Vermont Food Venture Center that would create a dedicated produce-processing kitchen and reconfigure coolers and freezers. They said the organizations have already received a $500,000 state appropriation in 2023 and additional Northern Borders Regional Commission support for infrastructure.

On institution partners and scale: Dolan said the processing program is working with roughly 20 farms and is sourcing around 170,000 pounds of produce a year and has lined up institutional buyers including higher-education dining services, several K–12 schools and health-care purchasers. The presenters also described a partnership with the Department of Corrections under a two-year grant to supply minimally processed produce to correctional facilities: the plan would deliver about "20,000 pounds minimally processed produce to roughly 1,600 incarcerated individuals and 600 DOC staff."

Committee reaction and next steps: Committee members asked about kitchen access and how the shared facility would operate. Ramsey clarified the produce-processing kitchen would be staff‑run to handle specialized equipment and volume, while other kitchens in the facility would be freed for rental by entrepreneurs. Several members expressed support and said they would discuss the request with the committee; staff indicated the committee will take the funding request under consideration as part of the Senate budgeting process.

The committee did not take a vote on the funding request during the session; the presenters left the committee with a request for the Senate to consider the $100,000 appropriation and to champion ongoing support for farms and charitable food programs.