Author: Annalise Carington

NOFA-VT’s Full Circle Approach

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A lot can be learned from the model that NOFA-VT has adopted with regards to developing an economically viable and ecologically sound food system in the state. The secret to their success has been a full circle strategy.  At the heart of their operation lies their certification office, formally called Vermont Organic Farmers (VOF). The role of VOF is to certify farmers and processors and to provide a highly credible program for independent third-party verification of organic food production.

Within VOF lies the Technical Assistance office. This office provides support for certified farmers and helps advise farmers hoping to transition to organic practices. Through on-site visits and intensive workshops, the TA office helps farmers grow better crops, keep healthier animals, and improve their business practices. The TA office also supports the Journey Farmers Program and other apprenticeship programs. In this way, VOF not only certifies established farmers, but helps grow and support the next generation of organic farmers.

Once certified, organic farmers rely on market demand for their organic products to stay in business. NOFA-VT helps with this, too. NOFA-VT has been instrumental in supporting the development of farmers’ markets across the state, providing a place for not only organic farmers, but all vermont farmers, to showcase their products. NOFA-VT is also working to expand access to local and organic markets through their Farm Share program (offering partially subsidized shares for CSA programs) and through their support of EBT machines at markets across the state. Add to this a collection of outreach and education campaigns that help inform consumers about the benefits of buying organic and you’ve got the dynamic marketing model that has helped support organic farmers in Vermont since 1971.

 

Professor Emeritus John Elder

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Professor Emeritus John Elder

John Elder, a professor at Middlebury from 1973 to 2010, is a renowned scholar of American nature writing and pastoral literature, contemporary poetry, and environmental studies. Elder’s most recent books reflect both memoir as well the natural history of Vermont and include titles such as Reading the Mountains of Home, The Frog Run, and Pilgrimage to Vallombrosa.

Elder’s voice is particularly relevant to the FoodWorks interns as he has been a leader in experimental learning exploring space, place, and the human relationship to the natural environment, as well as being a proponent of exploring agriculture in the liberal arts curriculum. A recent course instructed by Elder titled “Fast Food/Slow Food” considered writing and films about food, exploring the rise of industrial food and fast-food franchises as well as the local food movement and the international Slow Food network.

A former student writes of the beloved professor:

“Perhaps the greatest lesson Elder has taught me is that the truest forms of wisdom, the kind of wisdom that radiates from him, is wisdom that asks questions, and challenges us to see further, beyond ourselves… John has taught us that the best classroom discussions are the ones where nobody has the answers, and instead, students and professors alike are inspired to build off each other’s ideas in an effort to see deeper into the questions of our hearts, minds and souls.”

For more information, check out a profile of Elder by the Seven Days, as well as his 2010 Margolin Environmental Affairs Lecture at Middlebury College.