COVID-19

Farmers Market Resources

Farmer Resources

* UNH Labor & Unemployment info

* Growing Farmers Guide to CARES Act

* Farm Common Labor COVID podcasts:
Part 1: Sick Leave on the Farm
Part 2: Health Screening and Unemployment on the Farm
Part 3: Diversifying Farm Sales in Response to COVID-19
Part 4: Farm Sales through Online Platforms and CSA

Product Sales Resources

* Intervale/VHCB Online Ordering
Platforms

* FACT Strategies for Online Sales

* Oregon Tilth: Sales Platforms

* NOFA VT Distribution Matchmaking Tool

* Young Farmers Guide to Direct Sales Software Platforms

* Farm Commons podcasts:
Diversifying Farm Sales
Farm sales through online platforms

Find Open Local Businesses and Farms. Search the Vital Communities Guide.

Valley Food & Farm News

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 [...]

From the State House to the Farm House

Calling all Vermont Farmers! You're invited to the second annual From the State House to the Farmhouse event on Sunday September 22nd from 1-4 pm [...]

April Meet-Up Series for Beginning Farmers

We have an exciting project for new farmers in the White River valley portion of our region! The High Meadows Fund is supporting a series of free pe [...]

Visit Our Food & Farm Blog

Want more information?

Calendar

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Vital Communities Program News

Special Sessions for VT & NH Legislators

Vital Communities is hosting four virtual meetings for legislators in the Upper Valley region, from both New Hampshire and Vermont, connecting them with key voices and resource people on critical issues. Home Availability in Our Region Wed, ...more

Crowdfunding Available for NH Projects

New Hampshire businesses, farmers, entrepreneurs, nonprofits, community initiatives: Do you have an incredible project just waiting to happen? Want to grow your organization, our community, and the local economy, but don’t have access to capital? The ...more

One stop shop for VT green transportation news!

Some of our friends in Burlington have put together a super cool online resource called Vermont Goes Green for everything related to green transportation in Vermont — it's an events calendar and a clearinghouse for ...more

Quest to Refresh Challenge!

Do you need to press the reset/refresh button? Have you spent too much time behind a screen these days? We have a solution! Take our challenge – Quest to Refresh! Complete five or more Quests ...more

Housing Help in New Hampshire!

Housing Stabilization Services (HSS) include shelters, rental assistance for both eviction prevention and rapid re-housing, security deposit loan program, tenant services, supported housing programs and facilities, outreach/coordinated entry, commodity foods distribution, commodity supplemental food program ...more

Why Bank Locally?

Where You Bank Makes a Difference! When you use a bank or credit union rooted in our community, you're making a conscious choice to support our local economy. Local First Champion member Mascoma Bank is a ...more

Have an Idea That Could Use a Lift?

New Hampshire Businesses, Farmers, Entrepreneurs, Nonprofits, Community Initiatives: Do you have an incredible project just waiting to happen? Want to grow your organization, our community, and the local economy, but don’t have access to capital? The Local Crowd ...more

Study Underscores the Benefits of Buying Local

A study commissioned by Vital Communities finds that, for every dollar they earn, local retailers and restaurants return a share to the local community that’s up to four times as big as that of chain ...more

Fall Guided Quest in Wilder, VT

Join Vital Communities’ Valley Quest Coordinator Sandy Gmur along with Roy Black, lifelong resident of Wilder and a member of the Hartford Historical Society, on a guided exploration of the historic village of Wilder. Did ...more

Fall 2020 Transit Updates!

Just in time for fall and back-to-school, there are some exciting transit updates from both sides of the river! Tri-Valley Transit (formerly Stagecoach) has a new midday route on the 89er South route. This route connects ...more

How to Commute Safely During the Pandemic

Even with the need for physical distancing and many people working from home, transit and carpooling are available for those who need them. Here is some information on how to use each safely these days. Riding ...more

Quests Along the Cross Rivendell Trail

Do you hope to do a longer hike before the good weather ends? Do you enjoy a challenge? We have a way for you to attain these goals! Two of our Quests incorporate sections of ...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

13th Annual Roundtable - September 15

You're Invited! The 13th Annual Upper Valley Energy Committee Roundtable will be held Tuesday, September 15, 5-8 pm in West Lebanon! This annual gathering of local energy volunteers is open to all, whether you serve on an ...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

Staff

Becka Warren

Food & Farm Coordinator

Food & Farm

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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

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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

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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

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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.