We couldn’t be more excited to announce that we are hosting the Taking Root Student Symposium on October 28th at the University of Vermont, in partnership with Vermont Farm to Plate and the Vermont Agency of Agriculture.
This symposium is designed for all Vermont college students to celebrate farm to institution and learn about what it means to chart a career in food. We are pleased to
share that our keynote speaker will be Ben Hewitt, a Vermont-based author of many books including The Town That Food Saved and Making Supper Safe. Throughout the day, students will learn about:
- Why farm to institution is important
- Innovative work happening in Vermont’s food system
- Career paths of many of Vermont’s leading entrepreneurs and thinkers
- Resources available at each campus for students to pursue food systems-relevant coursework as well as food-related employment
- Current food-related job opportunities; students will also have time to network directly with some Vermont employers in the food industry.
And let’s not forget about lunch!
- Eat the Loop Supper celebrates innovative production practices, featuring
Vermont producers who “close-the-loop” through the creation of their product. From waste-free production to soil health management, Vermonters are leading the way in innovative practices. Meet the producers and fill your bellies with the “loop.”
Are you a Vermont college student interested in attending? Here’s what you need to know:
- We are looking for student representation from all Vermont campuses. We also have limited space for this event. If you are interested in attending, please email Annie Rowell at annie.rowell@sodexo.com.
- Registration costs $25 for the full day, 9am-4pm.
I am excited to attend the Taking Root Student Symposium at UVM because I was inspired by Ben Hewitt’s book ‘The Town that Food Saved’ when I was introduced to it as an undergrad. Also, I will be looking to find employment soon, so getting to learn more about current food-related positions and Vermont-based employers is a great opportunity. Overall, I can’t wait to meet people with similar passions as me and people who want to learn more!
– Ann Chiarenzelli, UVM Food Systems Master Student & Taking Root attendee
The statewide college student gathering is a perfect opportunity for our students in our learning community “A Call to Action: Building Sustainable Communities”. […] The symposium lands at a perfect place and time to support our goals; we hope that many students, faculty and staff from other Vermont colleges and universities attend.
– Ellen Hill, Faculty, Northern Vermont University at Johnson
Here is a glimpse of some of the panelists, producers, and employers you can expect to see there!
- Panelists:
- Mateo Kehler, Jasper Hill Farm
- Sarah Langan, UVM Dining/Sodexo
- Helen Labun, Vermont Fresh Network
- Ellen Kahler, Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund/Farm to Plate
- Sarah Waring, Center for an Agricultural Economy
- Annie Myers, Myers Produce
- Steve Schubart, Grass Cattle Company
- Joe Bossen, Vermont Beancrafters, All Souls’ Tortilleria
- Heather Darby, UVM Extension
- Theresa Snow, Salvation Farms
- Producers featured at lunch:
- Employers:
Stay tuned for more to come! Be sure to follow us on Instagram @vermontfirst for more information!
nate about everything apple. Sandi Earle, Executive Chef at Champlain College, met and thanked the crew who make the apple pies she serves in her dining hall. We watched an incredibly efficient crew pack the remains of last years apple crop into retail bags. We poked our heads into the newly constructed cidery. We ended with a stroll up the hill to see the new apple trees.
ch Vermont Sweetwater was ahead of the curve years ago. The company began with a Vermont Maple Seltzer in the mid-1990s, made using sap from their neighboring sugarmakers in the Poultney area. In a retro-fitted dairy barn which houses all of their production and storage, we sampled their creative additions to the product line of natural sodas, with flavors like Rugged Mountain Root Beer and Mango Moonshine. 
le Food Hub aggregates products from farms across Vermont and distributes throughout the Burlington area. This was our first visit since Intervale Food Hub became an approved vendor this summer, becoming a gateway for many small to mid-scale farms to sell into UVM. Our team got to see the packing room where all products get aggregated and packed out to then be delivered to three sites on UVM campus. Thanks to Bobby Young and Sona Desai at IFH for being great partners!
Opening the door to their new greenhouse packed full of tomato vines, Andy explained how they expect to produce over 20,000lbs of tomatoes out of this one greenhouse. As Andy fielded questions, it was apparent how the combination of his experience, technical knowledge, calm manner, and calculated approach to farming were a good example of the “something right” that has dictated this long life of ICF.
that the word “mirth” in 
Diggers’ Mirth is truly a fact of life on this farm. Quality of products grown at Diggers’ Mirth as well as quality of life seem to hold equal weight. Since 1992, they have enjoyed slow growth, experienced very little debt, and have enough shared responsibility to not over-tax any of the owners and workers.
rom UVM should visit the UVM farm, Catamount Farm. Our tour guides, Isabella and Amanda, were part of the UVM Farmer Training Program, a 6-month intensive training program for aspiring farmers and food system advocates. In addition to seeing where our food comes from when we purchase from Catamount Farm, we got to see first hand all that Isabella and Amanda have learned in just a few short months of being in the program. To top it off, Isabella whipped out a pocket knife to slice off some vegetable samples during our stroll through the fields.
ont Soy, Michael Carr, Business Manager, asked if we were indeed going to Boyden Valley Winery later that afternoon. Yes, I confirmed. Michael went on to say how the Boyden’s had just planted a large crop of soybeans for Vermont Soy, and circled around to explain that the okara, a by-product from tofu production, then went back to the Boyden’s to feed their cow herd.
nt Soy sits the 15,000 sq ft facility of the Center for an Agricultural Economy, the home of the Vermont Food Venture Center. For full disclosure here, this is where I worked before coming to Sodexo! A lot has happened since my last day back in February, from new products being made to new equipment coming in the door. In addition to the community building, market development for farmers, and food business incubation work they are known for, what’s clear in walking away from a tour with Connor, Sarah, and Alissa is that they’re a great team.
wner Dave Marchant pulled up in a golf cart, having been harvesting greens in a distant field. I think one thing I deeply admire about experienced farmers is their ability to quickly calculate what “makes sense.” When asked about the history of the farm stand that we stood in while talking with Dave, Dave simply responded it was the result of needing a place to send folks who stopped by looking for a head of lettuce. So he built them a farm stand that operates with an honor code system. Create your own market that requires very little management to run – makes sense.
business management, the Boyden’s are a staple of Vermont’s farming economy. Operating at least five different businesses under the family name, from maple produ
ction to a winery to an event center to growing soy beans for Vermont Soy, they have discovered a way of creating business opportunities between and within generations on this, rather large, plot of land.
Sodexo's Commitment to Buying Vermont First 