MONTPELIER –The Vermont Farm Viability Program announced Thursday the award of $88,520 in grants to 10 businesses that process, market, store, or distribute Vermont farm products such as meat, fruit and vegetables. The grants ranged from $2,300 to $16,250 and will be used to fund capital improvements, particularly to target expansions in meat processing and vegetable and fruit processing, storage and distribution, as well as to make food safety improvements at these facilities.

Secretary of Agriculture Chuck Ross said, “By providing funds to expand the capacity of ag-related business to process Vermont products, we can build Vermont’s infrastructure to meet the growing demand for fresh, locally produced products. Vermont is at the forefront in successfully marketing our high quality agricultural products.”

The grants were made in conjunction with a round of grants to non-profit organizations by The Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund to implement strategies relevant to the Farm to Plate initiative, a 10-year strategic plan to strengthen Vermont’s food system. Both sets of awards target businesses or organizations that are hubs of agricultural activity.

According to VSJF Executive Director Ellen Kahler, “These awards will ultimately nurture the growth of many different farms and food-related businesses in Vermont, benefiting more than the grantee organization.”

The 10 businesses that were awarded Farm Viability grants represent a wide range of value-added enterprises that provide services to or aggregate products from a total of approximately 200 Vermont farms. All grant recipients match grant funds at least dollar for dollar; the $88,520 in grant funds will leverage over $224,000 of primarily private funds.

Awards to Central Vermont businesses include:

- Vermont Salumi in Plainfield, which is an artisanal sausage and cured meat business started in 2010 by Pete Colman. Colman sources pasture-raised, heritage breed, Vermont pork and local ingredients for his products. He was awarded $9,250 toward the purchase of equipment for production and packing improvements as the company moves towards securing a commercial processing license and addresses food safety requirements. Working with the Farm Viability Program, says Colman, has “facilitated accurate business planning along with equipment and systems implementation that will fuel rapid and well calculated growth in Vermont Salumi. The Farm Viability grant is essential to building Vermont’s viable agricultural business models.”

- The Royal Butcher in Randolph is a federal- and state-inspected slaughterhouse. Since it was established in 2003, owner Royal Larocque has continually worked to increase processing capacity and upgrade the facility. A grant award of $10,000 will allow for construction of an addition with a new cooler and freezer and reconfiguration of the cutting and wrapping rooms.

- The Mad River Food Hub in Waitsfield is a new processing, storage, and distribution facility, state-inspected for meat processing, that will be available for daily or hourly rental to local producers and business owners. A grant of $10,000 will support the purchase of equipment for the food processing rooms.

- Parmelee Farm Mobile Unit, Randolph Center. Clark Parmelee raises poultry, beef, and pork on his farm in Randolph and will begin to offer mobile poultry slaughtering services to farmers raising chickens in central Vermont. A grant of $5,000 will help to cover the cost of purchasing the mobile unit and associated equipment.

- Grow Compost in Moretown began in 2009, using municipal and agricultural waste to produce compost on their farm. Owners Lisa Ransom and Scott Baughman said they will use a $10,000 Farm Viability grant to transition to Aerated Static Pile Management, a method of compost production that will increase the efficiency of their operation.According to Lisa and Scott, “These funds will allow Grow Compost to do the good work we do in a more efficient way to benefit our local farms, our local community and the health of soils in Vermont.”

The Vermont Farm Viability Enhancement Program is a partnership of the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board and the Vermont Agency of Agriculture. Funding assistance is provided by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) with support from Senator Patrick Leahy, USDA Rural Development and private foundations, including the John Merck Fund. The program provides business planning assistance and implementation grants to farmers and ag-related businesses. More than 350 Vermont farmers and 35 ag-related businesses have used the services of the Farm Viability Program since it was established in 2003.

To learn more about the program, see www.vhcb.org/viability.html.