VITAL COMMUNITIES
Valley Food & Farm fosters the relationships that keep
agriculture a vital part of Upper Valley life.
Explore our resources for farmers, schools, and consumers.
Join us to support our local farms and keep our landscapes working.
Valley Food & Farm News
Farm Viability a Priority for NH Nonprofits
Farm Viability a Priority for NH Nonprofits
Farm and Food Businesses Eligible for Team of Coaches Tailored to Their Needs
Organizations from around [...]
Upper Valley Everyone Eats: The Common Good; Not-So-Common Meals
With the close of 2020 came a pause for Upper Valley Everyone Eats (UVEE), the local hub of Vermont’s coronavirus relief program, Vermont Everyone E [...]
Pick Your Own is OPEN ♥
Yes...Local as Usual, Safer than Ever.
Pick Your Own strawberry farms opened this past weekend. Get out there and pick the delish! There is not [...]
Berries: Delicious, versatile and in season now!
The Upper Valley berry season typically ranges from late June to early October. In our short, but fruitful season, we can enjoy raspberries and strawb [...]
A Letter To Our Upper Valley Schools
I hope this note finds you all healthy and adjusting to the routines of remote learning and teaching. I know my family and I are starting to feel a [...]
Climate and Community Resilience: Lessons from the Soil
Climate and Community Resilience: Lessons from the Soil
Spring Community Webinar Series to Unpack What Creating Our Future Looks Like
What is good f [...]
Upper Valley Farm to School Forum: Trauma & Nutrition
Event Postponed
We will be rescheduling the forum
to the late spring or next fall
Upper Valley Farm to School Forum: Trauma & Nutritio [...]
Renewable Energy Funding for Farms and Small Businesses
Get the information you need to move forward with a renewable energy or energy efficiency project in Vermont or New Hampshire. Join Ken Yearman, Rural [...]
Canaan Keeps FarmRaisers Alive
Kale. Carrots. Beets. Potatoes. Powerkraut®!
These are just a few of the delightful local foods I've received from Root 5 Farm over the past few m [...]
Celebrate Farm to School Month With Our Fall Farm to School Forum
Meet Your Local Farm to School Network!
The Upper Valley Farm to School Network invites you to gather in your region to build local connections w [...]
Photo Gallery
Vital Communities Program News
"Put Your Money Where Your Life Is": Reclaiming Our Local Economy
"Put Your Money Where Your Life Is": Reclaiming Our Local Economy Event series focuses on local investment as a tool for rebuilding our region's economy "When the pandemic recedes, we all will be called upon to take extraordinary ...more
NH Route 120 Improvements Near Exit 18
The New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NHDOT) has recently begun a project to study multi-modal improvements to NH Route 120 from Hanover Street to Etna Road in Lebanon, NH. This project (NHDOT reference #29612) seeks ...more
Climate Partners Summit Resources
Climate Partners Summit Resources On February 25, 2021, over 70 interested partners and citizens joined the Upper Valley Adaptation Workgroup (UVAW) for a virtual Climate Partners Summit, featuring brief presentation from a variety of organizations working ...more
Local Investment Inspiration & Resources
An "investment" always concerns the outlay of some asset today (time, money, effort, etc.) in hopes of a greater payoff in the future than what was originally put in. Where you choose to invest your ...more
Digital Marketing Assistance for New Hampshire Businesses & Farms
Digital Marketing Assistance for New Hampshire Businesses & Farms Could your business benefit from professional consulting services to improve your marketing? With Rural Development funding, Vital Communities' Local First is hosting a free marketing workshop AND providing ...more
Climate Partners Summit February 25
Climate change has the potential to affect everyone on the planet and virtually every aspect of our lives, including here in the Upper Valley. The good news is that many throughout the Upper Valley are working ...more
Quest to the Star!
Have you seen the star alight upon Mt. Tom in Woodstock? Wouldn't it be fun to see it up close? You can if you follow the clues of the Mt. Tom Quest. The star traditionally ...more
Farm-Way gift cards, fat bikes, and YOU!
Whether you live in Vermont or New Hampshire, grab your bike, sneakers, or boots and join Vital Communities, Local Motion, and Go! Vermont for the 2021 Vermont Winter Bike/Walk Challenge, through February 12 (International Winter ...more
Neighbors Helping Neighbors Save Energy
This week marks the close of Vital Communities and volunteers’ 2020 Vermont Energy Savings project in seven towns in the Vermont side of the Upper Valley. Vital Communities partnered with Sustainable Woodstock (serving Woodstock, Hartland, ...more
Valley Quest Volunteer Monitors Needed
Do you enjoy being outdoors? Do you enjoy bringing others outdoors and making their experience something special? Then you are a good candidate for monitoring one or more of our 160+ Valley Quests throughout the Upper ...more
Localvore Passport Webinar
Learn how Localvore Passport can help your business connect with customers at an informational webinar, Tuesday, January 12 or Wednesday, January 13! (Attend either event. The same information will be presented twice; Zoom link below). Vermont-based Localvore is ...more
That's Snow Excuse!
Don't be deterred by wet, cold or snow. Good times can be had when a-questing you go! Be sure to search our website Valley Quest page selecting for Season and Year Round to see what ...more
Love your bike ride, even in cold weather
We (Bethany and Mike from the Transportation team) are still riding our bikes these cold dark days, because it keeps us healthy and relieves anxiety! Your bike can offer fresh air, motion, and safe social ...more
Weatherize Webinar, August 17
Weatherize Webinar with NHSaves Monday, August 17 at Noon Did Covid-19 stop your 2020 weatherization plans in their tracks? NOW is the right time to jump back on the weatherize band wagon. Lower energy bills and cozy ...more
Welcome 31 New Upper Valley Change-makers
Vital Communities celebrated the graduation of the Leadership Upper Valley Class of 2020 on Wednesday, June 10. This event marked the program’s 14th graduating class, as 31 local leaders completed the 10-month program with a ...more
Five Inspiring Stories
On March 18, Vital Communities held a webinar featuring five inspiring stories from energy committees across the Upper Valley. Stories included: Electric charging stations in Bethel An Upper Valley eBike lending library Energy saving window ...more
Stand in Your Circle of Strength and Lead
Ed. Note: On May 30, Vital Communities honored 12 community leaders who’ve added immeasurably to the vitality of the Upper Valley at its annual Heroes & Leaders Celebration. The following are the event’s keynote remarks ...more
Heroes & Leaders: Creating a Vital Upper Valley
Every spring, Leadership Upper Valley, a program of Vital Communities, hosts the annual Heroes & Leaders Celebration to recognize individuals who make significant contributions to the Upper Valley. In 2019, we are pleased to honor ...more
Thank you to our Valley Food & Farm sponsors
Staff
Becka Warren
Food & Farm Coordinator
Food & Farm
Food & Farm
— Becka Warren, Food & Farm Coordinator
Part of Vital Communities' Food & Farm team since 2012, Becka fosters relationships that keep agriculture a daily part of community life in the Upper Valley. She works with current and future farmers, businesses, schools, and partners across Vermont and New Hampshire to build connections that support farm viability and keep our landscapes working. Becka lived in Seattle for many years, where she worked for the Washington State University Small Farms Program, Cascade Harvest Coalition, Seattle Tilth, and area vegetable farms. Becka is also a writer, founding and writing Ask Umbra at gristmagazine.com until 2009. She holds a BA from Brown University and lives in Hartland, Vermont, with her family.
Beth Roy
Food & Farm Manager
Valley Quest, Food & Farm
Valley Quest, Food & Farm
— Beth Roy, Food & Farm Manager
Beth leads Vital Communities' Food & Farm team, including its Upper Valley Farm to School programming, and also oversees Valley Quest. Before joining Vital Communities, Beth worked in the environmental and place-based education fields for 17 years in various positions around New England including at the Vermont Institute of Natural Science and as the Director of Education at the Nature Museum in Grafton, Vt. She previously served on the boards of the Vermont Science Teacher Association and the Vermont State-Wide Environmental Education Programs, a coalition of dozens of individuals and organizations promoting sustainability and environmental education in Vermont. Beth is a New Hampshire native and lives in Hartland, Vt., with her husband and two children, and serves on the Hartland School Board. When Beth is not working you will find her exploring the woods around her home with her family or cooking up a new taste test (made of local foods, of course!) for her children.
Doreen Guillette
Assistant to the Executive Director, Flavors Coordinator
Food & Farm
Food & Farm
— Doreen Guillette, Assistant to the Executive Director, Flavors Coordinator
Doreen Guillette joined Vital Communities in January 2020 as the Flavors of the Valley Coordinator and Assistant to the Executive Director, with many years of administrative and management experience at Dartmouth-Hitchcock, self-employment, and volunteering. An Upper Valley native, Doreen spends most of her time and energy caring for her mini-farm and a large family in Norwich. She is a strong advocate for local community and is president of the Beaver Meadow Chapel, Trustee of the Beaver Meadow Schoolhouse, and Co-Chair of the West Norwich Community Resilience Organization. Doreen enjoys hiking, kayaking, writing poetry, nature photography, and cooking meals that come from her own land.
Nancy LaRowe
Food & Farm and Local First Coordinator
Local First, Food & Farm
Local First, Food & Farm
— Nancy LaRowe, Food & Farm and Local First Coordinator
Nancy joined Vital Communities as the Food & Farm Coordinator in 2014. She works to support and grow our local food system and economy. Nancy has lived, worked, and farmed in the Upper Valley for more than 25 years and believes our community is healthier and stronger when our connections to food and the farms that produce it stay vital.
Nancy's informal job title is Farmer-in-Residence: she also runs a pasture-based cattle farm in Norwich. Nancy is on the Board of the Norwich Farmers' Market and a retired Norwich volunteer firefighter and EMT. She loves puttering in the garden, hiking with her dog, and visiting farmers' markets.