Passing this on from UVM Extension. -TB

Build Your Farm Labor Management Know-How

The 2023 workshop series from the Farm Labor Dashboard project will help farmers build knowledge and skills they need to successfully recruit and manage the right employees for their farms. The workshops are geared to produce and diversified livestock producers who are new to managing employees, and to farmers who are considering changes to how they arrange for, and manage, labor on their farms. Women farmers’ learning needs and priorities are integrated throughout the series.

Sessions include:

• Growing Successful Work Teams – Identify your communication and management preferences and practical ways to use them to build a successful crew for the coming season. This two-session workshop will be offered three times in January 2023, with the same content covered in each section. Select the section that works best in schedule: Jan 7 & 14; Jan. 12 & 19; or Jan. 17 & 24. Cost: $35, advance registration is required.
• Coaching Farmers on Payroll Planning – Service Provider Session (January 10, noon-1 pm Eastern Time). Learn about simple tools and strategies service providers and educators can use to help farmers calculate the cost of hired workers and to help them develop a financial plan to ensure they will have the resources on hand to meet payroll needs. Free, advance registration required.
• Planning for Payroll – Farmer Session (January 11, Noon-1 pm Eastern Time) Hiring your first farm employee can be daunting. Join this session to learn how to use simple tools that will help you understand the complete cost of hired workers and develop a financial plan to help ensure you will have resources on hand to meet payroll needs. Free, advance registration required.
• Staffing Up: (Feb. 9, Noon-1:30 pm Eastern Time). Join this participatory session to share and co-learn effective strategies to hire and retain employees. Prior to the workshop you will receive advance materials – such as short video clips and/or short articles – that will set the stage for discussion and learning during the session. Following the session, there will be opportunities to for individual follow-up and feedback from session facilitators. Free, advance registration required.
• Practical Techniques to Optimize Employee Performance. (Feb. 23, Noon-1:30 pm ET) In this participatory session, we’ll explore effective communication practices that share expectations and provide feedback to employees all season long. Prior to the workshop you will receive advance materials – such as short video clips and/or short articles – that will set the stage for discussion and learning during the session. Following the session, there will be opportunities to for individual follow-up and feedback from session facilitators. Free, advance registration required.
• The Art of Negotiation: Negotiation basics, with a focus on labor management. (Mar 2 & 9, Noon-1 pm Eastern Time). Free, advance registration required.

All sessions will be held via Zoom. Connection information will be sent following registration.

Learn more at the beth.holtzman.

Learn more at the Farm Labor Dashboard.

The workshops are made possible by grant support provided by USDA/NIFA under award 2021-49400-35641. Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture. University of Vermont Extension, Burlington, Vermont. University of Vermont Extension, and U.S. Department of Agriculture, cooperating, offer education and employment to everyone without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or familial status. Any reference to commercial products, trade names, or brand names is for information only, and no endorsement or approval is intended.

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Beth Holtzman (she/her) Why pronouns:

University of Vermont Extension

Women’s Ag Network | New Farmer Project | VT State SARE

802-476-2003 x204

I am currently working remotely. You can reach me via email or leave a voicemail message by phone.

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The New England Vegetable and Fruit Conference will be held in Manchester, NH December 13-15, 2022. This is the biggest specialty crops educational conference in the region, and has dozens of great talks, farmer to farmer sessions, and a great trade show. There are fruit sessions on all three days, and lots of cross-commodity sessions on regulations, farm technology, agritourism, and labor, to name just a few. Trust me, this conference is your biggest bang for the buck for professional development this coming winter.

Details and registration are available at: https://newenglandvfc.org/

Applications are open for the 2023 New England Farmer Microgrants Program! Apply by November 4th.

The New England Farmer Microgrants Program(NEFMP), founded in 2020, seeks to address financial barriers for farmers in New England by offering grants for projects related to land access, farm succession, and the adoption of regenerative agriculture practices. Since its founding, NEFMP has awarded $775,000 to 165 farmers across New England.

In 2023, there are two separate funding opportunities: Western New England Regenerative Livestock Farming Support grants (RLF), and Farmland Access, Succession, and Transfer Support grants (FAST). These two opportunities address key concerns for farmers in the region.

The Western New England Regenerative Livestock Farming Grants. The Western New England Regenerative Livestock Farming funding opportunity provides grants up to $10,000 to livestock producers in select counties in CT, MA, NH, and VT for projects that improve soil health through the adoption of regenerative agricultural practices.Learn More

The Farmland Access, Succession, and Transfer Grants. The Farmland Access, Succession, and Transfer Support opportunity provides grants of up to $5,000 to farmers anywhere in New England who are looking to purchase or lease land to farm, or pass their farms on to other farmers. Learn More

Applications close November 4th at 5pm!

Contact our staff with any questions: Kristen Irvin | kirvin@farmland.org | 413-419-0023

Alissa White​ Sr. Manager for Climate and Agriculture Email: awhite Website: www.farmland.org Join the Farming Is Our Future campaign today!

“This message and its contents are confidential. If you received this message in error, do not use or rely upon it. Instead, please inform the sender and then delete it. Opinions in this email may only be those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of American Farmland Trust. The contents of this email do not constitute a binding offer or acceptance by American Farmland Trust unless so set forth in a separate document.”

From: Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets
Sent: Sunday, October 9, 2022 5:30 PM
To: Terence Bradshaw
Subject: Don’t Miss the Environmental Quality Incentive Program Deadline!

Don’t Miss the Environmental Quality Incentive Program Deadline! New waste storage infrastructure can be costly, but is one of the most effective ways for farms to decrease nutrient runoff and is often a necessary investment to keep up with state water quality regulations. The Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) from the United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA NRCS) can help farms invest in manure management projects, in addition to less engineering-heavy projects like rotational grazing infrastructure and in-field conservation practices. Farms are eligible for up to $450,000 in federal assistance under EQIP every Farm Bill (every 5 years). If farms think ahead and break up their most costly projects across multiple Farm Bills, they can maximize the federal and state assistance they are eligible for. The 2018 Farm Bill is coming to a close in the upcoming Fiscal Year. Contact your local NRCS now to see how close you are to your EQIP cap under the 2018 Farm Bill and to apply for this final year of funding before your cap resets next year! The deadline is November 18th. Click Here for More EQIP Info Exceptional Year for Vermont Vendors and Visitors at the Big E! It was a fantastic year in the Vermont Building at the region’s biggest fair, The Big E. Preliminary sales for 2022 totaled $1.7 million over the 17-day event. The Vermont Building again hosted many great vendors from the Green Mountain State. One such vendor was Nomadic Kitchen, whose S’mores Macaron was recommended by MassLive as the #1 new food to try at The Big E in 2022! Additionally, the all-time Big E single day attendance record was hit on Vermont Day (September 24th). With Governor Scott in attendance, 177,789 people attended the Big E. Logan George, the Maintenance and Services staff member for the Vermont Building, received The Big E "Host of the Day" award on September 28th. The award recognizes one individual of The Big E each day during the fair who goes "above and beyond" to make the fair a positive experience for everyone involved. A huge thanks to the vendors, building staff, and visitors who make the Vermont Building such an incredible place at the fair! Learn more about the Vermont Building Short Term Forgivable Loans for Priority Sectors The Vermont Economic Development Authority (VEDA) has funding available through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to support businesses that continue to experience economic harm from COVID-19. In accordance with state guidelines the program will only accept applications from businesses in travel & tourism, restaurants and eating establishments, lodging, childcare, agriculture, or any BIPOC-owned business until October 15th. After October 15th, VEDA will reassess the need to continue limiting applications to these priority sectors. Please check back for updates. Businesses must have fewer than 500 employees, have been in operation as of March 13th, 2020, demonstrate economic harm from COVID-19, and plan to use the forgivable loans for operating expenses. You can download the application package here, which includes a tool to calculate your eligibility and the size of your potential loan. Applicants are highly encouraged to seek technical assistance to determine their eligibility. Priority Funding Deadline: Oct. 15th Working Lands Enterprise Initiative Mailing List The Working Lands Enterprise Initiative has a new mailing list! The Initiative supports innovative entrepreneurs at the forefront of Vermont’s Working Lands economy through technical and financial assistance to help growing businesses thrive. The Working Lands Fund supports grants and contracts that have ranged from $5,000-$250,000. If you are interested in Working Lands grant opportunities, events, and business support, please sign up for their new mailing list. Learn more about Working Lands Managing Cows During Calving Webinar Join University of Vermont Extension for an online webinar as part of their Dairy Herd Health Workshop series hosted by Dr. Dayna Locitzer, large animal vet at the Green Mountain Bovine Clinic. The upcoming webinar will attempt to give farmers a better understanding of how to manage their cows during calving, including appropriate care for each of the three calving stages, and how/when to intervene. Register for this free webinar. Webinar: Oct. 20th from 12-1:00pm ET View the VAAFM Grants Calendar Copyright © 2022, All rights reserved. Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets 116 State St. Montpelier, VT 05620 Our website address is: https://agriculture.vermont.gov Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

July 8th, 2020

From: Covid-19 On Behalf Of Jake Claro
Sent: Wednesday, July 8, 2020 9:32 AM
To: COVID-19@vtfoodatlas.com
Subject: [Covid-19] PPE Survey

Hi all,

Hope everyone is well. Please share the link below regarding a survey to help inform ongoing efforts to assist Vermont employers in securing the masks/face coverings and other PPE they want and need. The survey is the effort of Vermont’s Regional Development Corporations, Associated Industries of Vermont, the Lake Champlain Chamber, the Vermont Chamber of Commerce, the Vermont Retail & Grocers Association, the Vermont Vehicle & Automotive Distributors Association, and other business organizations: