For Community News Service, a VTSU-Castleton internship, for Rutland Herald
The smell of fresh-baked bread from the Stafford Technical Center Culinary Department filled the air as around 60 local supporters roamed the Vermont Farmers Food Center in Rutland, listening to live music by Charlie Woods and tasting Vermont-made wine from the Fairly Buzzed trailer pop-up.
“We really do enjoy coming here and being a part of things with the Vermont Farmers Food Center; everyone here is so kind,” said founder of Fairlybuzzed, Brooke Fehr. “I would just encourage other people to think about shopping locally before they choose to shop at the store if at all possible.”
Enjoying a farm-to-table dinner featuring seasonal ingredients from area farms, guests gathered for the 13th annual Harvest Fest Sunday.
“When people gather around a meal made with ingredients from local farms, they can see how many hands and relationships contribute to what is on the table,” said VFFC Executive Director Heidi Lynch. “Part of our mission is to foster stronger connections to one another and to this extraordinary place we call home.”
This year’s event was especially meaningful for VFFC, as they got to showcase their progress in renovation work, as well as unveiling their multi-year campaign to help serve more farmers, food entrepreneurs and the broader community.
Today, farmers face so many pressures, Lynch said, explaining how smaller farms in particular deal with the logistics of storing, processing, packing and delivering products — an expensive and time-consuming process.
“VFFC is working to address these barriers by leveraging our incredible new infrastructure and talented staff to help farmers get their products to buyers more efficiently and cost-effectively,” she said.
As VFFC expands its services, they are also increasing their staff capacity to help balance the additional work. Priorities include hiring a food hub director, and marketing and communications manager as resources grow, as well as expanding to their development area to help build organization for long-term sustainability.
VFFC Co-Chair Ryan Yoder said the biggest challenge he finds as a farmer is selling as much as he can produce but has high hopes for the future of farming.
“My biggest hope for the future would be to see a couple grocery stores close,” Yoder said. “Not because people can’t afford food, but because more people are shopping locally.”
Also expressing his concerns in farming, Co-Chair Philip Ackerman-Leist said his biggest fear is this coming winter as the cost of living climbs higher.
“People shouldn’t have to choose fuel or food,” Ackerman-Leist said.
Despite the hardships of the winter season, the farmers said they are grateful to have two new commercial kitchens, providing a much-needed cooler space, especially with winter right around the corner.
“The comfort from people coming into the winter market is vital,” Ackerman-Leist said. “To finally have cooler space to keep nutritional value is so much related to being able to keep good food reservations.”
Amy McWhirt, a local supporter who moved from Kansas two months ago, said she is impressed with how far VFFC has come, specifically highlighting the commercial kitchen, cold storage, the “food-as-medicine” Farmacy Project, and educational learning for children.
“I love it here; it’s wonderful, and all the people have been fantastic,” McWhirt said. “And events like this are what get me excited.”
Farming is hard work, something Harvest Fest attendee Pamela Blanchette said she understands from her past relationship with a farmer.
“It’s hard work with no days off,” Blanchette said. “I remember every time a cow got out, everyone immediately went out to get it back in.”
While enjoying a bite of the caprese appetizer at dinner, Blanchette also said she was raised a vegetarian, so she learned quickly how to survive off a garden, particularly highlighting the pesto used on the sandwich.
Many organizations around the state have similar programs like VFFC’s; however, Lynch explained how Rutland has taken it to the next level with their food hub.
“Here is where we’re different from other food hubs across the state,” Lynch said.
Lynch explained how VFFC’s vision for their campus will include both a premier “back-of-house” food hub operation and a “front of house,” where people come to revel in the winter farmers market offerings, enjoy the spring sunshine in their gardens, and have the opportunity to gather for music in the shade under their new planned pavilion.
“Ultimately, we want to build a food center that serves as broad a spectrum of our community as possible,” Lynch said. “Whether it’s from moving food or simply creating a space to enjoy it in the company of others.”
Planning and Development Director Julia Anderson noted local farmer Greg Cox, one of the original founders of VFFC, always said Rutland is “the heart of Vermont agriculture,” and reminded the community that rebuilding local food systems requires the “blue-collar, green-collar” grit that Rutland exemplifies.
“If something needs to be built, whether it’s a network of farmers, the transformation of an industrial site into a vibrant food center or a new community pavilion and gathering space, Rutland is the place to do it,” Anderson said.