Food+Co-ops: VT Farm to Plate Network Generates Collective Impact

Published on www.NOFAVT.org on 11/18/13

Timeline of Farm to Plate progress in 2013. Credit VT Farm to Plate.

Imagine you are in Paris, in a room full of intelligent, informed people discussing the issues of the day. It is the early 1600s and you are in one of the few social spheres that allows for female leadership. You are in a salon. Perhaps there is art on the walls of the gathering room, and a theater performance. When you arrive, you are announced to the room.

Fast forward to 2013, and it turns out you are actually in a breakout session at one of the most innovative food system conferences in the country. This “salon” is exploring what it will take to connect the dots most effectively between producers and consumers of local/regional food. The backdrop is the 3rd Annual Gathering of Vermont’s Farm to Plate Network. Over 250 representatives of the 300+ member Network attended. Members of the Farm to Plate Network encompass all types and scales of agricultural-related production and processing businesses, government entities, educational institutions, distributors, retailers, and dozens of non-profits from food justice to technical assistance providers. This Network is weaving together all components of Vermont’s food system to strengthen the working landscape, build the resilience of farms, improve environmental quality, and increase local food access for all Vermonters.

Not Just a Conference, but an Ecosystem for Action

Balancing Act – Farm to Plate attendees “deep dive” into a conversation about affordable food, livable wages, and business viability
Credit: VT Farm to Plate

What’s not to like? But how does a conference translate into action and results? Well, the first thing you notice is that all of the activities and teams in the network are organized around leverage points that were identified in the Farm to Plate Strategic Plan. In 2009, legislation tasked the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund with the creation of a ten-year Farm to Plate Strategic Plan, to increase economic development and jobs in Vermont’s food and farm sector and improve access to healthy local food for all Vermonters.

Plans are nice; they sit on the shelf next to the scrapbooks. Right? Or maybe one organization has a plan to meet its goals. The Farm to Plate Strategic Plan is different, and it’s different because of the Farm to Plate Network.

Vermont legislators are recognized and share insights with Farm to Plate
Credit: VT Farm to Plate

Take the meat sector for example. Over a two and a half year period, the Network’s Meat Processing Task Force has facilitated collaboration between livestock slaughter and processing stakeholders to coordinate business and production technical assistance. This team–on which NOFA-VT is a key player–is proactively addressing the growing demand for sustainably raised meat from nearby, and Vermont’s meat sector is expanding. Through the learning and networking that took place at task force meetings, Black River Produce was able to make connections with national industry leaders that influenced the successful opening of their meat processing facility in the former Ben & Jerry’s plant in North Springfield last spring.

A Seven Days article, published 8/14/13, noted that Black River employs 155 people and that they recently hired skilled meat cutters. Bear in mind that, according to Vermont Department of Labor and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, between 2000 and 2010 employment in Springfield dropped more than 10 times faster than the statewide average. Not only that, but the median family income growth rate in Springfield from 2000 to 2009 was half that of the state of Vermont, based on Vermont Tax Department statistics. So when a 40,000-square-foot building shifts from sitting dormant for five years to being the backdrop for a 25-year-old emerging leader saying to Seven Days, “This is a company I can retire from. This plant is only going to grow,” you can start to appreciate the significance of private sector leadership and public-private partnerships in a context like the VT Farm to Plate Network.

Designed for Impact—with follow-through

Flipchart from the Connecting the Dots “deep dive” session focused on improving market signals between producers and consumers of local/regional food
Credit: Eric DeLuca

Stories are great; I feel good already. But how do you generate (and measure!) impact across a 300+ organization Network? For the last couple years the nonprofit and the foundation worlds have begun giving serious attention to a framework outlined in Stanford Social Innovation Review by Kania and Kramer called Collective Impact. The framework outlines five characteristics of impactful, large-scale change initiatives. Among them is the presence of a backbone organization.

The VT Sustainable Jobs Fund has taken on this role, not only in terms of state statute, but also as a convener and facilitator of the broader Network. The Network, in turn, is intentionally cultivating the other four characteristics, which are:

• Common agenda
• Shared measurement
• Mutually reinforcing activities
• Continuous communication

The Network features six working groups that collaboratively address specific leverage points such as farmland access & stewardship, aggregation & distribution, and consumer education & marketing. These groups, as well as six crosscutting teams, are made up of representatives from Network member businesses and organizations working on the ground in these areas; NOFA Vermont is proud to be engaged in seven of the 12 groups, including those listed above.

All Eyes on Vermont
Assuming that all of this engaged planning and coordinated action isn’t too good to be true, it stands to reason that other states have become curious about Vermont’s approach to local/regional food system development. In 2012, the New England states each sent representatives to the VT Farm to Plate Network Gathering to see what the buzz was all about. In 2013 they sent delegations that celebrated interstate collaborations like a new partnership between Black River Meats and Rhode Island family business Daniele, Inc. to produce prosciutto regionally.

It’s easy for fans anywhere (read: food system development leaders and passionate consumers) to track development in the VT Farm to Plate Network through the Vermont Food System Atlas—the “Google” of Vermont’s food system. The Atlas features thousands of resources including farm and producer stories and videos, job listings, data, and a map searchable by people, location, keyword, and category, in addition to all sections of the Farm to Plate Strategic Plan. So stay tuned; remember, this is only year three of a 10-year journey!

 Farm to Plate Network members reflect on conversations at the Gathering. Credit: VT Farm to Plate

Original article posted at NOFA Vermont

Food+Co-ops: Farm Viability—Strong Networks & Thriving Farms

Published on www.NOFAVT.org on 10/11/13

As you may have heard, 97% of Vermonters value the working landscape. But what’s the difference between the working landscape and a pretty view? One simple answer is: farm viability.

NOFA-VT Executive Director Enid Wonnacott (center, in pink) and colleagues at the 2008 National Farm Viability Conference

The state of Vermont is widely recognized for the strength of its community-based food system. One of the core assets in this system is the Farm Viability Program of the VT Housing & Conservation Board, which works to increase the success of Vermont’s land-based businesses.

VHCB recently hosted a national conference focused on farm viability, to share the love. As VHCB Executive Director Gus Seelig noted, “The National Farm Viability Conference was a great success, drawing 200 practitioners from 18 states working to improve rural economy and reinvent a better food system for farmers and consumers.”

Vermont Secretary of Agriculture Chuck Ross added, “The conference underscored the importance of technical assistance to the success of our farming enterprises and the entrepreneurs who run the operations.”

The thing that made this event powerful was the same factor that makes the VT Farm Viability Program so effective: Networks. Just as VHCB partners with an array of technical assistance providers to help farms better plan their businesses, this conference convened a broad range of stakeholders dedicated to a sustainable local/regional food system to “network, develop new knowledge and skills, and visit farms and value-added processing facilities.”

But what did the conference mean to those who were there—both Vermonters and leaders from elsewhere in the US? And what does it say about the opportunity the VT Farm Viability Program provides to Vermont farmers and food system businesses?

Cross-Pollination

“The ability to engage with other folks working through similar issues in their regions, and discuss potential solutions and innovations, was incredibly stimulating. These sort of gatherings, I believe, are going to be essential in our Food Systems work development, so that we might learn from one another, and share resources.” That was the perspective of Ben Filippo, Food Systems Coordinator at the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association. Ben traveled to Vermont from North Carolina for the conference. He has studied and developed diverse food hubs in the South.

These sentiments were echoed by a Vermont-based farm viability service provider, Mark Cannella, Extension Faculty at University of Vermont (UVM), who said: “It becomes clear to me that keeping pace with new developments requires me to continually stretch myself into new skills and new relationships.”

A longtime partner of the VT Farm Viability Program is the Intervale Center. Intervale Center Executive Director Travis Marcotte saw a deeper level of value in the event, “For me, this conference is really a tribute to our commitment to working landscapes and our belief that by working together we can help farm and forest businesses thrive.”

In addition to geographic diversity, the conference brought together people playing diverse roles within the food system. For example, Dan Pullman noted, “As an investor in New England Food System solutions, I greatly value the strong collaborative dialogue between investors and with food system businesses. The Farm Viability Conference creates an intimate forum for investors and food system entrepreneurs to interact closely—this long-term relationship building is vital to sustaining a coordinated and financially sound growth strategy.”

Another regional investor and program developer reinforced this perception: “By bringing together a diverse group of farm and food lenders, investors, consultants, entrepreneurs, non-profit leaders, and other stakeholders for two days, VHCB was able to facilitate the collaborative thinking and action that moves the needle of regional food system change forward,” said Alex Linkow—Program Director of the Fair Food Fund.

The conference attracted not only service providers and food system investors, but also enterprises that do business with farmers on a daily basis, like wholesale distributor Black River Produce. As Communications Director Jean Hamilton pointed out, getting market signals moving effectively within a values-based supply chain can help local/regional food systems get to the next level. “Due to our market relationships and volume of business, we at Black River Produce collect a lot of market information that can be valuable to farmers and producers. We are eager to share this information broadly and effectively. Participating in the Farm Viability Conference allowed us to share this info directly with front-line service providers. We also benefited from hearing their expert perspectives on challenges and opportunities that businesses like ours pose to the viability of small and mid-sized producers.”

A Program That Pays Off for Farmers

VT Farm Viability Program participant, Bread & Butter Farm

Against a national backdrop of decreasing numbers of farms and farmers, UVM Dean of Extension Doug Lantagne notes, “Farm Viability has made an immense positive impact on farm businesses across the state. I value UVM Extension’s role, in partnership with VHCB and other contractors, that has helped our agricultural businesses thrive, not just survive the last several years.”

So what is the VT Farm Viability Program and how can you—as a producer—get involved?

Grounded in the straightforward mission of enhancing the economic viability of Vermont farmers, the program progresses logically from business planning to technical assistance in implementing business plans. It then provides opportunities to receive grants for capital expenses related to plan implementation.

NOFA-VT is a service delivery partner in the VT Farm Viability Program – one of the organizations that provides the business planning and other assistance to help farms become and remain successful. Caitlin Jenness is one of the staff people involved in the program. She says that now is a good time to apply.

“The season is still fresh in people’s minds. Finances, production data, and process information will be at hand. The Farm Viability Program is a two-year process, so during the off-season you set up the focus, and then you have a season to work with a consultant and learn. Then you can rework your plan and keep it a working document. You can assess gaps from the first year, and track new strategies through the second year to see if they’re paying off.”

The program has regular quarterly deadlines; the next deadline to apply to the Vermont Farm Viability Program is November 30, 2013. In addition to farmers, the program works with food enterprises and forestry enterprises. For more information: http://www.vhcb.org/viability.html#enroll

Original article posted at NOFA Vermont

Food+Co-ops: Access to Good Food for All

Published on www.NOFAVT.org on 9/13/13

The Basic Goods program at Wild Oats Market offers "the kitchen staples you use often for the best prices we can afford." Photo by Bonnie Hudspeth

Access to good food for all. Who can't get behind that idea? Turns out, once you start to walk down that road, you find a lot of complexities—factors that add up to a lack of access to good food by food insecure populations. That's what I hear from folks who are addressing this "wicked problem" on a daily basis. But note that they *are* addressing the problem. This month in Food+Co-ops, let's take a look at how. Pieces of the puzzle include consumer education, cost, and transportation. 

• How can we increase knowledge about where to find good food, how to prepare it, and where to use Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits (aka food stamps, known in Vermont as 3SquaresVT)? 
• How can we make good food affordable, and also help people understand the ‘true cost of food’ and how it relates to prices charged by farmers and big box retailers? 
• How do folks get to and from the places where good food is available?

One strategy that you’ll see across the two leadership tales below is community partnerships. So let’s take a look at how NOFA-VT and an alliance within the New England cooperative economy are making strides each day toward this important and powerful goal. The Food Co-ops and Healthy Food Access Program  The Food Co-ops and Healthy Food Access Program is a partnership between the Cooperative Fund of New England (CFNE), a 38-year old regional co-op oriented community loan fund, and the Neighboring Food Co-op Association (NFCA). NFCA is a network of 34 food co-ops and start-up initiatives that are working together toward a shared vision of a thriving regional economy, rooted in a healthy, just and sustainable food system and collaboration among co-ops. At NFCA’s Fall Member Gathering on September 7, more than 100 people from member food co-ops and 10 partner organizations focused their attention on the theme of how to ensure that food co-ops are accessible to low-income consumers. Hunger Free Vermont’s Faye Conte keynoted the gathering. She points out that, “As community-minded, locally-owned food stores, co-ops are well-suited to address food access in their communities. By creating discount programs, offering affordable products, and creating a shopping environment that is welcoming to everyone, co-ops can help all Vermonters have access to healthy, affordable foods.” Hunger Free Vermont is partnering with NFCA and CFNE to help more co-ops create programs that increase healthy food access and help to end hunger, community by community. CFNE’s Micha Josephy outlined six leverage points for serving low-income communities through food co-ops:

1. Community partnerships, in areas like outreach and program design
2. Affordable ownership shares in the co-op
3. Affordable products at the co-op
4. Education opportunities, such as how to buy in bulk and purchase and prepare healthy, affordable options in the store
5. Inclusive marketing, including in-store signage, advertising, and staff training
6. Infrastructure, to address hurdles like transportation or language barriers

Rochdale Pioneers storefront

Food co-ops are not starting from scratch when it comes to models for increasing access. In fact, the modern cooperative movement was founded in 19th-century England by the Rochdale Pioneers, who came together out of a common need for healthy food in the midst of industrialization and increased distance between producers and consumers. Sound familiar? “The co-op movement has a long history of empowering working people to meet their needs through democratically controlled, member-owned businesses,” said Bonnie Hudspeth, Membership & Outreach Coordinator at NFCA. “As food co-ops are owned by—and accountable to—their community members, they are well positioned to expand the benefits of healthy food and co-op ownership to low-income community members. It is very exciting to see the recent momentum of Neighboring Food Co-ops from across New England coming together and supporting each other to develop programs at their co-ops that will help make healthy, local food more accessible for all community members.” Models have been demonstrated for increasing access, including the "Food for All" program which provides a store-wide 10% discount for income-eligible members. The Food Co-ops and Healthy Food Access Program is designed to document such models and replicate them regionally. For more on these efforts, see this recent articlefrom the national trade magazine for food co-ops. As an outcome of intentionally collaborating around healthy food access, NFCA, CFNE and Hunger Free VT have supported NFCA co-ops to do joint screenings of the 2013 film A Place at the Table—tying into a national hunger awareness campaign. Screenings include community dialogues on working to end hunger at the community level. 

NOFA-VT PROGRAMS ZERO IN ON ACCESS

EBT machine at Old North End farmers' market.

Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) at Farmers’ Markets A core strategy NOFA-VT utilizes is increasing the access to local foods for users of existing programs like 3SquaresVT. A major project over the past few years has been establishing Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card readers in farmers' markets, allowing 3SquaresVT recipients to use their benefits to purchase food at the market. 45 farmers’ markets in Vermont currently accept EBT, out of approximately 70 total markets. Vermont is the home of a working group focused on EBT access at farmers’ markets. In addition to NOFA-VT and Hunger Free VT, this group includes the VT Department of Children and Families, University of Vermont Extension, and the VT Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets. Faye Conte of Hunger Free VT highlights the importance of outreach, “With over half of the farmers’ markets in the state now accepting EBT, getting the word out about this great opportunity to 3SquaresVT recipients is key to ensuring the success of this program. With NOFA-VT and others on the EBT at Farmers’ Market Committee we have been working hard this season to expand the number of low-income shoppers visiting farmers markets.” Building on the success demonstrated with farmers’ markets, NOFA-VT is encouraging CSA farms and farm stands to accept EBT. When CSA shares are delivered to workplaces and communities, the barrier of needing to drive can often be removed. In Addison County, NOFA-VT is running a pilot program through which Farm Share recipients can pick up their food at a local school, addressing transportation issues. Harvest Health Coupons The Harvest Health Coupon program further expands the value of EBT benefits claimed at farmers’ markets by matching up to $10 per market day. Such double-value coupons are offered through similar programs around the country. In Vermont, funding support comes from Wholesome Wave, the USDA Rural Development Specialty Crop Block Grant program, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, and the state of Vermont. Farm Share and Senior Farm Share Two more ways that NOFA-VT addresses access are the Farm Share and Senior Farm Share programs. The two programs reach 1,800 people per year with half-price (Farm Share) or free (Senior Farm Share) CSA shares. The Farm Share program not only benefits food-insecure Vermonters, it also supports farm viability. In 2011, these programs partnered with 41 farms, generating over $100,000 of farm income. For Farm Share, NOFA-VT raises funds to pay 25% of the share, and the farms raise 25% from their communities. The Senior Farm Share program works with senior housing sites to provide free shares worth $5-10/week, totaling $50 per share. Join the Team by Participating in Share the Harvest Farm Share is in its 19th year, and the number of applications has increased significantly in recent years; the program now receives more applications than it can fund. You can help - and enjoy a great meal at the same time! The primary fundraiser for the Farm Share program is NOFA-VT's annual Share the Harvestevent. Through Share the Harvest, generous restaurants, co-ops, and food stores statewide donate a portion of their day’s sales to the Farm Share Program. Please consider joining this year’s Share the Harvest event by eating or shopping at participating establishments on Thursday, October 3rd. Click here for a list of participating businesses. In it for the long haul—together Each of these programs represents a long-term commitment to addressing the root causes of food insecurity. If you ask around the country what’s relevant about the Vermont food system, you will often hear that it shows what a community-based food system can accomplish. At the heart of such food systems is multi-organizational collaboration. The above examples highlight what’s possible when stakeholders team up to help make food insecurity a thing of the past.

Original article posted at NOFA Vermont

Food+Co-ops: Connecting the Dots Between Farms & Institutions

Published on www.NOFAVT.org on 8/14/13

In Vermont, there is a lot of exciting Farm to Institution work being done—from technical assistance to farmers and institutions, to relationship building and convening partners across the supply chain. The goal is to build upon and develop systems to increase the availability of local food in institutions, while simultaneously supporting and growing VT’s agricultural economy. NOFA-VT is collaborating with Rutland Area Farm and Food Link (RAFFL) and Food Connects to support institutions in their respective areas of the state to access and purchase more local product. The key goal is what NOFA-VT's farm to institution guru, Abbie Nelson, calls More to the Third Power: more local to more people more easily. NOFA-VT and the VT Farm Viability Program are also working with farmers statewide on business planning strategies for selling to institutional accounts. NOFA-VT and the VT Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets are co-chairing a Farm to Institution Task Force as part of the Farm to Plate Network to promote cross-organization collaboration and learning.

More To The Third Power

School food staff testing local food recipes

In Vermont, there is a lot of exciting Farm to Institution work being done—from technical assistance to farmers and institutions, to relationship building and convening partners across the supply chain. The goal is to build upon and develop systems to increase the availability of local food in institutions, while simultaneously supporting and growing VT’s agricultural economy. NOFA-VT is collaborating with Rutland Area Farm and Food Link (RAFFL) and Food Connects to support institutions in their respective areas of the state to access and purchase more local product. The key goal is what NOFA-VT's farm to institution guru, Abbie Nelson, calls More to the Third Power: more local to more people more easily. NOFA-VT and the VT Farm Viability Program are also working with farmers statewide on business planning strategies for selling to institutional accounts. NOFA-VT and the VT Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets are co-chairing a Farm to Institution Task Force as part of the Farm to Plate Network to promote cross-organization collaboration and learning.

It Takes a Region: Farm to Institution New England

Coalition partners at the 2013 FINE forum

Farm to Institution New England (FINE) is a six-state collaboration of many partners that is spearheading a number of initiatives in the region to increase demand for New England food from institutions such as schools, colleges, hospitals, government agencies, and corporations. FINE’s farm-to-college project is working with 8 colleges in VT, NH, ME and greater Boston—collecting baseline data, providing technical assistance to food service operators, convening key stakeholders, and disseminating best practices related to the challenges to, and opportunities for, using more regional food in this sector’s dining facilities. A new Supply Chain project recognizes that large distributors and food service management companies serve a majority of institutions in the region – and experience unique operational challenges to sourcing local food. In collaboration with at least two food service management companies in the region, the project team will compile and evaluate data about locally grown food procurement policies, perceptions, activities and players, and develop common measures and strategies.

Processing can extend the availability and convenience of local foods.

Given New England’s limited growing season, we can increase the volume and value of local food consumed within institutions by processing it to serve in non-growing seasons. The Processing Community of Practice is bringing together seven processing facilities in the region – two of which have been operating less than five years, and the remainder less than two – to share information and learn about issues such as increased produce procurement, including agreements with growers; better packaging and labeling; more efficient distribution; as well as finding and securing appropriate equipment.

You Gotta Fight (Collaborate) for Your Right to Connect the Dots

Farm to Institution isn't easy. There's a lot of market share for Vermont farmers to pursue, but you really need to polish your management game to make it work for you. That means controlling your margins. One of the reasons I'm creating a higher ed certificate program focused on food hub management, in partnership with UVM Continuing Education and many stakeholders, is that food hubs can help small and mid-sized producers access institutional markets, by taking on some of the red tape. But at the end of the day, the biggest opportunity in the Farm to Institution market is how many people it reaches—people who would love affordable access to good food as much as the next person. NOFA-VT is collaborating throughout the supply chain to connect those dots. Keep your eyes open for opportunities to get local food at the institutions in your life. Businesses pay attention when customers (people) say what they want.Special thanks to Erin Buckwalter (NOFA-VT) and Peter Allison (FINE) for written updates, and Abbie Nelson (NOFA-VT) for photos.

Original article posted at NOFA Vermont

Food+Co-ops: Next Generation Leadership

Published on www.NOFAVT.org on 7/12/13

Sarah at Middlebury College Organic Farm (c) Middlebury College (2013)

NOFA VT’s Winter Conference is the best-attended gathering of farmers and their allies in Vermont each year. The theme of the 2013 conference was Generations of Innovation. Implied in that theme is the value of next-generation leadership. In this first of a monthly series of posts on the connections between food, co-ops, and community, NOFA-VT member Eric Deluca will focus on youth leadership development. Here are two inspiring stories: one on food and the other about co-ops. They showcase what’s possible in the world of youth leadership development. You’ll see themes like peer-to-peer learning; that’s no accident. You can do this too! Food: Middlebury FoodWorks Internship Program Middlebury FoodWorks is a nine-week internship program for Middlebury College students on local food and sustainable development, piloted in Louisville, Kentucky and expanded to include Middlebury’s Vermont partners in 2013.  Its mission is to provide summer internship opportunities that enhance student learning and engagement in food studies. Each student works four days a week, focused on local food.   On the fifth day, students learn together about agriculture and ecology; food systems; community and economic development; nutrition and health.  Students in Louisville and Vermont are connected through video conferences and a blog. The 15 Vermont students this summer are working in such places as NOFA-VT; the Mad River Food Hub/UVM Continuing Ed food hub management program; Vermont Agency of Agriculture Food and Markets; Rutland Area Food and Farm Link (RAFFL); on farms, etc.  In addition to attending the Slow Living and UVM Food System Summits, Vermont students visited Hardwick to look at local economy; met with Secretary of Agriculture Chuck Ross about food policy and a resilient food system; visited local producers, etc.  This week, Philip Ackerman-Leist is challenging them to identify a local food project; students will present their work in a TED-style talk at the program’s conclusion.  (Afterward, Wendell Berry will be joining the Louisville students!) Check out the Middlebury FoodWorks blog where interns are posting regular reflections, pictures, and tweets: http://sites.middlebury.edu/foodworks/. Co-ops: On the Road with Co-Cycle, a youth-led, bicycle-powered tour linking co-ops across the country. Co-Cycle 2013—Week 1 (Snippets from the Rider Blog)

Cooling off in Idaho's Clearwater River--July 2013

“In Seattle we were hosted by SLICE: Strengthening Local Independent Cooperatives Everywhere. We arrived for a kickoff party at Equal Exchange Café—a worker co-op. Then we biked over 200 miles over four days and tallied 14 flat tires and 3 wrong turns. On June 9th we were happy to reach Portland, Oregon—mainly because we could shower. We were impressed by the bike-friendliness of the city and felt welcomed by the roads and people. We arrived during a two-week bicycle extravaganza: Pedalpalooza. We met bike- and co-op-curious community members. Our team—with the help of materials developed by TESA (Toolbox for Education and Social Action)—conducted a workshop where we learned about the different cooperative models, drawing from the diversity of knowledge in the group. We developed questions and research outlines for the co-ops we will be visiting on tour. This process proved helpful the next day when, as part of a research partnership between Co-Cycle and CoFed(Cooperative Food Empowerment Directive), team members visited Food For Thought café—a student-run collective in Portland State University.”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCuNR_Gb0ao Watch the Official Trailer (3 min) for To the Moon—the documentary chronicling the 2012 Co-Cycle cross-country bicycle tour. Follow the 2013 tour on Twitter @cocycle2012 and on Facebook.

Original article posted at NOFA Vermont

Read Our Other Publications

The Power of Co-ops

(cover story) NOFA Notes: The Quarterly Newsletter of the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont

Summer 2013 issue

Collaboration and Resilience

Cooperative Grocer

July-August 2010

Planning in Collaboration

Cooperative Grocer

January-February 2009

Growing Jobs, Financial Literacy through Community Engagement

Cooperative Business Journal

November-December 2011

Strengthening Networks—and Impact—through the International

Year of Cooperatives

Cooperative Business Journal

September-October 2011