Vermont Agency of Agriculture Food & Markets Agroforestry integrates agriculture and forestry techniques to create more diverse, productive, and sustainable land-use systems. Agriforestry has tremendous potential to reduce greenhouse gases, improve biodiversity, increase yield and crop diversity, enhance food access, and much more.
Interlace Commons is seeking farms and institutions interested in implementing alley cropping, forest farming, and silvopasture. Through a project aiming to improve agroforestry technical assistance, participating farms will receive two years of free technical services and a robust planting budget. If your organization or farmer constituents are interested in applying, please email Meghan by January 30th, 2022.
To promote sustainable forestry, the U.S. Forest Service has recently announced two Wood Innovations Funding Opportunity requests for proposals;
2022 Community Wood Energy and Wood Innovation Funding Opportunity is intended for shovel-ready projects that create or expand thermally led community energy systems or innovative wood product opportunities. Proposals are due January 19th, 2022.
The Wood Innovations Funding Opportunity is intended for projects that expand and accelerate wood energy and wood products markets throughout the United States to support forest management needs on National Forest System and other forest lands. Proposals are due January 19th, 2022.
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Finding workers is challenging. Have you considered looking at some long-standing foreign worker programs? Join the Agency of Commerce and Community Development, the Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets and the Department of Labor for a closer look at these visa work programs.
Officials will outline the H-2A, H-2B and J-1 programs in a free webinar on Tuesday December 21. You can join the Foreign Labor Webinar and Informational Session online using the link above and ask questions about these programs that provide employers another option to find employees.
Webinar: Dec. 21 10 a.m. – 11 a.m.
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Farmers across New England can apply now for grants of up to $5,000 through the New England Farmer Microgrants Program.
80% of this year’s funding will be for projects in specific counties, including eastern and southern Vermont, that improve the resiliency of livestock operations through improved soil health or other regenerative agriculture practices. The remainder of the funds will be dedicated towards eligible projects anywhere in New England that support land access, bringing more farmland into production, or planning for the future of the farm.
Application Deadline: Jan. 7
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NOFA-VT has funding to provide one-on-one marketing technical assistance (TA) for farmers that sell through at least one direct-to-consumer market channel. This TA is designed to meet farmers’ marketing needs and can take many forms, including, but not limited to: creation or revision of marketing plans, website updates, implementation of online ordering systems, brand development, creation or revision of your farms’ messaging and storytelling, and analysis of your cost of sales by market channel and pricing strategy. If you have any questions, contact Bill Cavanaugh.
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Join farmer and Carrot Project business advisor Cian Dalzell for a training series: Responding to Change, Pivoting for Profitability. These trainings are designed for farmers and food businesses with moderate or greater experience in operations and an established financial record keeping system in place. Choose from two options for this four-session series:
Series 1: Mondays – Jan 31, Feb 7, 14, and 28: 10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Series 2: Wednesdays – Jan 12, 19, 26, and Feb 9: 3:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
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https://vermontbiz.com/news/2021/december/20/wood-innovation-funding-agroforestry-grant-opportunities
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