Vermont's Farms Cropping Up, Diversifying

12 February 2009 - 9:00am

The spike in farms can be seen statewide. They are more diverse than they used to be, and probably a response from young people who "want to know where their foods comes from" and have taken direct action.

"According to Gary Keough, director of the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service New England field office, Vermont farmers are benefiting from the increasing opportunity to sell their own produce.

'More farms are selling direct to the public and it is adding income to the producers,' he said. 'Farmers are selling direct because there is a demand for it and as the demand increases farmers will be selling direct more often.'"

"Keough said the new census numbers prove that farming in Vermont is changing and getting stronger.

'Anytime you have an increase in the number of operations, you have an opportunity for the potential of more growth,' Keough said. 'You have people who want to be in farming right now.'

Source: Brattleboro Reformer, February 11, 2009
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Short of erasing existing political and jurisdictional boundaries, citizens and officials need to develop the capacity to work across boundaries according to the "problem-sheds" of the land and water issues we face in the 21st century.