NOFA-VT and the Bennington County Conservation District are convening a cohort of farmers in Bennington and Rutland County to collectively learn about strengthening resilience on farms and in the wider region. We would like to invite you to join the group for 4 on-farm gatherings focused on strengthening farm and community resilience through skill-building, coordination, and collaboration. Together, cohort members will expand their toolkits for building resilience, while learning from and with each other and creating a network of peer support. 

Cohort Overview:

The cohort will meet for four on-farm evening gatherings (including dinner!) from early March to early May. While we hope cohort members will be able to attend all four workshops, we understand the time and energy constraints of early spring. All farms are welcome to participate, children are welcome at meetings, and meals and beverages will be provided.Cohort members will also receive a participation stipend of $75 per meeting, up to a maximum of $300 per farm. 

The four workshops will cover farm financial resilience, community resilience, climate resilience, and regional organizing. Each workshop will take place on a farm that highlights the resilience theme for that day. 

Cohort Sessions: 

• March 11th - Farm financial resilience planning
  • Larson Farm and Creamery, Wells
• March 25th- Community resilience planning
  • Clear Brook Farm, Shaftbury
• April 15th - Farm climate resilience planning
  • Squier Family Farm, Tinmouth
• April 28th - Regional organizing
  • Earth Sky Time Community Farm, Manchester 

Background and Additional Details:

The convening of this cohort is in response to recent years of flood and drought and is designed to support the farm community in addressing ongoing regional economic and climatic challenges. With the goal of creating a space for farmers in Bennington and Rutland counties to collectively share and learn strategies for strengthening resilience on farms and within the farming community, this cohort will provide a foundation to support continued long-term resilience programming for farmers throughout the Shires. 

Each workshop will include a farm tour to ground learnings in a farm context. They will cover resilience planning strategies, with dedicated time to apply tools to both your own farm and the regional food system. 

To join or learn more, please email kevin@nofavt.org.org. 

Hope to see you in March and April!