The Future of Vermont’s Food & Farm Economy: Trends & Predictions From the Field
Join VBSR and The Intervale to connect with friends and colleagues and hear from a panel of experts as we discuss trends and predictions for the future of Vermont’s food and farm economy.
Food and agriculture businesses are deeply interconnected with Vermont’s economy, culture and land use. A strong local farm and food sector isn’t just about farmers—it’s about restaurants, grocers, distributors, tourism and manufacturing. Our agricultural heritage is knitted into the fabric of our communities.
VBSR was a lead supporter of the Farm to Plate initiative over 15 years ago. Where has the food and farm economy come since then, and where are we headed? We’ll learn about current trends from some of Vermont’s foremost food system leaders and press them for their predictions on what’s next to come.
We hope to see you there for delicious drinks, networking, and shared learning! This is a great opportunity to catch up with colleagues, make new connections, gain new ideas and inspiration, and have some fun!
This event is open to everyone interested in working toward a just, thriving, and transformative economy that works for all people and the planet.
This discussion will be moderated by:
Travis Marcotte (he/him), Executive Director, The Intervale Center
Travis Marcotte was born into a family of dairy farmers in Charlotte, Vermont. For over three decades, Travis has worked in food, agriculture and community economic development in Central America, Caribbean and US. With a passion for working landscapes and a love of food, Travis appreciates the opportunities and challenges that face our food system and is excited to be part of Vermont’s farm and food leadership. Travis directs his energy to deepening the Intervale Center’s impact across Vermont through program development and deep partnership. Travis lives in Franklin county with his partner and three children.
Panelists include:
Jean Hamilton, Business Consultant, Jean Hamilton Consulting
Ellen Kahler, Executive Director, Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund (VSJF)
Ellen Kahler has been the Executive Director of the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund (VSJF) since late 2005. VSJF’s mission is to nurture the economic prosperity, ecological health, and social connectivity of people, businesses, organizations and communities in Vermont for the benefit and well-being of all who live here. The organization provides business assistance, supply chain coordination, network development, and industry level strategic planning in the sectors of agriculture and food systems, forest products, waste management, renewable energy, and environmental technology.
Previously, she served at the Executive Director of the Burlington based Peace & Justice Center from 1990 – 2022 where she advocated and organized around a wide range of peace, human rights, economic and racial justice initiatives. And she was the founder of the Peer to Peer Collaborative (2004-2005), a business advising service which tapped the expertise of numerous successful, socially responsible C-suite entrepreneurs, in order to advance the development of early-stage businesses in the state. She brought this business advising service with her when she joined the VSJF in 2005.
In 2009, due to VBSR’s advocacy effort, the Vermont Legislature created the Farm to Plate Investment Program and tasked the VSJF will developing a 10-year strategic plan to strengthen Vermont’s food system. The 1st plan was released in January 2011 and the Farm to Plate Network of over 300 organizations was created to help implement the Plan. Between 2011 – 2020, Vermont increased local food sales from 5% ($114m) to 10% ($371m) and created 6,500 net new jobs. After the Legislature reauthorized the legislation, the VSJF published Vermont’s 2nd 10-year plan in 2021, in close collaboration with the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets. Vermont’s Farm to Plate initiative has led other states in New England to publish their own plans and band together in a regional initiative called New England Feeding New England.
For her work in promoting Vermont’s food system, Ellen was inducted into the Vermont Agriculture Hall of Fame in August, 2024 in the category of Ag Innovator. She currently serves on the Boards of the Working Lands Enterprise Fund and the University of Vermont College of Agriculture & Life Sciences Board of Advisors. She also serves on the Advisory Committee of the Center for Agriculture & Food Entrepreneurship based at the VT State University – Randolph campus. She served on the Governor’s Vermont Workforce Development Board (2018-2024) and the Governor’s Commission on the Future of Vermont Agriculture (2021-2023).
She is a graduate of Bucknell University with a Bachelor of Arts in political science (1989) and from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University with a Master of Public Administration (2023).
Grace Oedel, Executive Director, Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont (NOFA-VT)
Grace has served as Executive Director of NOFA-VT since 2019, bringing with her a lifelong commitment to work at the intersection of people, land, and justice. Grace formerly served as the Executive Director of a community center working to build relationship, foster connection and tend justice in Burlington. Before moving to Vermont, Grace founded and directed Dig In Farm and Educational Center in Massachusetts, a working farm and living laboratory for young people to learn both about small-scale farming and social change movements. She has worked on healing the relationship between land and people through food and farming in Connecticut, California and Maine before finding home in the Green Mountains.
Grace is also an ordained Rabbi and supports a spiritual community bridging social action and spiritual practice called the L'Chaim Collective, and tends a small urban homestead with her partner and three children.
Nicole Reilly, MS, RD, CD, Senior Manager of Sustainability & Strategic Initiatives, UVM Dining (Sodexo)
Nicole Reilly is a mission-driven Registered Dietitian with nearly 15 years of experience, currently leading sustainability and strategic initiatives for University of Vermont Dining. She holds a master’s degree in Human Nutrition from Oklahoma State University and a bachelor’s degree in Dietetics from the University of Vermont.
Nicole advances local and sustainable food procurement through the Vermont First program, supporting the university’s goal of sourcing 25% Vermont-grown or -manufactured food by 2030. She also manages a range of sustainability and nutrition initiatives focused on plant-forward dining, waste reduction, and culinary education.
Nicole has led several high-impact programs, including UVM’s Swipe Out Hunger and Food to Share initiatives, the launch of ReusePass to strengthen the campus reusable container system, and ongoing collaborations with the College of Agriculture & Life Sciences. Widely recognized for her partnership-driven approach, Nicole brings together students, farmers, producers, chefs, and faculty to co-create solutions at the intersection of food, sustainability, and education.
Food & Drinks
This event will feature free finger foods, including gluten free and vegan options, and delicious drinks for purchase, including non-alcoholic options, from Adventure Dinner!
Thank you to our hosts!
Founded in 1988, the Intervale Center manages a 360-acre campus of farmland, trails and open space along the Winooski River in Burlington, VT. Our influence radiates out from this beloved place as we work across Vermont to enhance farm viability and land sustainability, and more broadly as we serve as a model for food and farming organizations throughout the world.
We are a dynamic non-profit that implements innovative, replicable and place-based solutions to address some of global agriculture’s most pressing problems. We are transforming the food system from one that is degrading, anonymous and industrial, to one that is restorative, familiar and human-scale. We are working to foster a local food economy that is good for people and the planet.
For 35 years, we’ve led a community food revolution. We’ve pioneered game-changing initiatives like community-supported agriculture (CSA), large-scale composting, food hubs and farm incubators. We continue to innovate so that more good food is available for anyone who wants it.
Thank you to our sponsors!
Adventure Dinner is a woman-owned, queer-friendly events and catering company based in Colchester, Vermont. Their mission is to highlight and support Vermont farms, producers, and small businesses through family-style dining and community events. Adventure Dinner is well known for their long table farm dinners, which have been featured in Travel + Leisure, Food + Wine, Imbibe, The Washington Post and NBC’s 1st Look. In addition to their sell-out ticketed dinners, Adventure Dinner also offers catering for private events! They create bespoke farm-to-table drink and culinary menus for each celebration, and offer full-service catering and professional bartending services along with drop-off options.
Adventure Dinner loves a celebration, and brings the Vermont lens as they cater weddings, rehearsal dinners, corporate events, holiday parties, birthdays--anything that deserves a local VT touch.
New in this past year, Adventure Dinner opened the doors for our private event venue, The Clubhouse! This newly minted space features three rooms: The Loft, an open-plan, flexible space for up to 75 folks, The Library, a cozy bar and lounge for up to 30, and the Green Room, a lush private dining space for up to 18 folks seated.
Copper Leaf Financial is a fee-only, fiduciary wealth advisory firm serving clients nationwide from offices in Vermont. We specialize in true wealth management - a holistic approach that goes beyond just investment advice for those seeking tax-aware, evidence-based planning that evolves over time adjusting to life circumstances. We also concentrate on sustainable investing, or sustainable “planning” because it includes alignment across your entire financial plan. We help you achieve alignment between your values, savings, investments, philanthropy, and lifestyle. A detailed, well-rounded, “big picture” plan can help maximize the wealth you share with future generations and causes most important to you.
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HR Happens provides practical, hands-on HR leadership and consulting services to small and medium sized businesses and organizations. Whether building the HR function from the ground up or stepping in as your fractional HR department, we help you navigate policies, people, and change with confidence. In addition to serving as an ongoing HR partner, we also take on focused HR projects to support your immediate needs and long-term goals. Our goal is to simplify the complex, offer real-world solutions, and ensure your workplace is both compliant and built to thrive.
Since 1790, King Arthur Baking Company has been sharing the joy of baking. A certified B Corp headquartered in Vermont, King Arthur is the ultimate baking resource, providing the highest quality ingredients for the most delicious baked goods, while inspiring connections through baking. As a 100% employee-owned company, we believe in the power of baking to make a difference for our employee-owners, the larger baking community, and the planet. From cultivating a workplace that embraces differences and prioritizes trust to teaching children across the country how to bake bread from scratch to partnering with farmers and suppliers who share our vision for a greener planet, we strive to be a force for good in all that we do.
Community is at the heart of what we do, sharing love through pizza.
Ours is a partnership, built on mutual admiration and trust. You are the inspiration behind all we do. Your passionate support fuels our team to be better every day. Our commitment to you is integrity, quality and authenticity. With innovation and creativity as our foundation, we won't stop striving until you get the very best.
Place is a brand development and advertising agency in Burlington Vermont. We help a range of clients from non profits to retail brands grow. Over the past 25 years we've helped brands like Darn Tough, Vermont Coffee Company, Dakin Farm, Union Bank and the State of Vermont reach their goals.
University Dining Services Vision: To be the best-in-class university housing and dining experience—where everyone flourishes and belongs.
University Dining Services Mission: Fueled by a love of food, people, and planet, we are dedicated to nourishing our community with integrity, cultivating spaces that foster experiential learning and meaningful connections, and driving transformative change for a sustainable future.
UVM Dining’s Vermont First program was recently awarded the NACUFS Gold Award for Sustainable Procurement, recognizing over a decade of leadership in local food sourcing and institutional food system innovation. Our work has helped shape procurement practices across higher education and healthcare in the Northeast, while supporting over 30 Vermont-based producers and food businesses.
Attendee Experience
All members of New Hampshire Businesses for Social Responsibility are welcome to attend for free.
This venue has is one indoor, single-occupant bathroom, in addition to several porta-potties outdoors.
Free parking is available on site in the lots surrounding the building.
Please make note of any accommodation requests when you register.
Are you interested in sponsoring this event? If so, please contact Jeremy Gerber at jeremyg@vbsr.org for details.
Questions? If so, please contact to Molly Rand at mollyr@vbsr.org.