Here in the Northeast Kingdom this winter reminded many of us what winter used to be like with abundant snow and many days of below zero temperatures. Despite these conditions winter is a busy time of year for CAE and the local food system. Since January, CAE has loaded trucks seven days a week through the cold nights, to move over $2 million in local food from farms to people across Vermont for the producers who rely on our services. Our Just Cut staff prepared over 38,000 pounds of local produce in just two months for use in our local schools and hospitals that has been stored since the fall by our local farmers. This is also an especially busy time of the year for CAE’s business resources staff. Farms are planning their spring plantings and the projects they hope to accomplish. Over a dozen farms are currently working with CAE’s business resources staff to update cash flow projections and prepare their finances for the year ahead. Many farms begin the process of securing the capital they need to accomplish those projects by connecting with Vermont Farm Fund. 2024 was a record year for the Vermont Farm Fund and in 2025 over $200,000 in loan requests have already been made. Monthly, the Hazen class A Recipe for Human Connection (facilitated by CAE's Place-based education coordinator, Reeve Basom) is preparing free community meals and Grow Your Own workshops are connecting community members to share skills and food. Lastly, CAE has been busy getting the Food Hub ready for operations. Over the winter, CAE staff connected with many community members and other organizations at the NOFA winter Conference, Vermont Veg and Berry Growers Annual Meeting, and NEK Day at the Statehouse. 

We’re hearing concerns from our community; farmers afraid of losing federal funding to complete long-planned projects, community members concerned services may go away, and partner organizations worried they may also lose funding. Despite these uncertainties CAE is moving forward, taking action, and providing resources and support. CAE has been gathering information, and multiple staff members have testified at the Statehouse articulating the importance of local food and how it supports our communities. CAE has supported the development of the legislative bill S.60 to establish the Farm Security Special Fund to provide grants for farm losses due to severe weather events. CAE’s work is an investment in our future: this work requires a long view while accomplishing small goals everyday. We are nimble and can adapt, but that does not mean we deviate from our long term goals. While the soil rests during this long winter CAE is building resilience and looking forward towards our future.

FARM CONNEX: PRODUCER HIGHLIGHT 🐂

In the course of 20 years, Sweet Cow Yogurt started from selling our traditional style whole Jersey milk yogurt at a local Farmers Market to distributing to over 25 farm stands, food co-ops and specialty food stores throughout Vermont and New Hampshire. This success in a huge way is due to Farm Connex's willingness and commitment to drive out of their way on the back roads to our farm in West Newbury, Vermont every week to pick up orders that they will deliver that week. With much appreciation for the entire team at Farm Connex for your work and commitment to us small producers,  I want to say a huge THANK YOU for your services!
- Diane Wyatt, co-owner, Sweet Cow Yogurt

SWEET COW YOGURT

We love working with our Farm Connex producers! Farm Connex is a local food logistics and transportation partner that helps with all aspects of self-distribution. We service locations in the first and last mile of Vermont, connecting our producers to a larger base of regional consumers. 

Sweet Cow Yogurt is a 34-acre farm tucked away in the hills of West Newbury, Vermont, committed to crafting one of the best artisan yogurts Vermont has to offer. 

JUST CUT: FARMER HIGHLIGHT 🌶
We love working with  our amazing Just Cut farmers who make production possible each day! Just Cut prepares a line of ready-to-use products for K-12 schools, hospitals, and colleges throughout Vermont and just over the border in New Hampshire.

Honey Field Farm is a 35-acre family farm located in Norwich, Vermont at the former home of legendary Killdeer Farm. Owners Valerie Woodhouse and Eli Hersh grow 15 acres of certified organic vegetables to distribute to over 25 local and regional partners, their farm stand, CSA, and the farmers market. CAE is privileged to work with Honey Field Farm in multiple ways. They have grown produce for Just Cut since 2020, shipped products with Farm Connex, and received loans through the Vermont Farm Fund.

This past season, Just Cut purchased 1600 lbs of green, yellow, and orange bell peppers from Honey Field Farm to dice and freeze them for sale to @UVMmedcenter and @FarmerstoYou. In 2025, Just Cut plans to dice more peppers and expand their markets. Contact us if you’re interested in some for your commercial or institutional kitchen. justcut@caevt.org

“We love growing all kinds of peppers in bulk, but everyone’s favorite to harvest is always bell peppers. Our partnership with Just Cut helps us harvest and ship more of these fun shiny veggies each season!”
- Eli Hersh, co-owner of Honey Field Farm

HONEY FIELD FARM

VERMONT FARM FUND: FARMER HIGHLIGHT 🐓
Justin Bramhall and Vanessa Rose own and operate Leaping Bear Farm, a small organic poultry farm located on leased land in Putney, VT. They are first generation farmers who prioritize growing high quality, fresh, and healthy food in a way that benefits the environment. Leaping Bear Farm is a Vermont Organic Farmers- and Real Organic Project-certified, pasture-raised chicken and egg producer. The main focus of their model is helping build soil to store carbon in the ground, absorb more rainwater, and promote biodiversity.

We are proud to support community resilience and our local farmers through the Vermont Farm Fund! The Vermont Farm Fund, a program of the Center for an Agricultural Economy, is a community-based credit model in service of a community-based food system.

Leaping Bear Farm is a recipient of a VFF Business Builder loan to support the purchase of a new mobile chicken house for their growing flock. Their goal is to maximize what is possible on their land, all while providing good, clean food!

PRE-K TASTE TESTERS AT HARDWICK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 🥬

In appreciation of the brave Pre-K taste-testers at Hardwick Elementary School, may your kindness, curiosity, and joyfulness be evergreen. 😀

Thank you to Hazen student Erica Ainsworth for co-facilitating this green-themed tasting adventure along with CAE’s Place-Based Education Coordinator.

Community Connections are collaborations and services designed and led with partners and neighbors. These programs help build collective, local resilience through community organizing, shared learning, and food justice. We co-create programming with school and community partners to integrate meaningful place-based learning into our rural education system.

One of CAE's guiding values is JOY. We believe the richness of life is experienced through connection. We find and elevate the moments of wonder and awe that help us stay connected, generous, compassionate, and thankful. There is much to celebrate.

The Humanitarian Awards ceremony is sponsored by the Hardwick Kiwanis Club, which puts out a call every year for organizations in Hardwick to honor someone who goes the extra mile for their community, either as a volunteer or an employee. This year nine area residents were recognized, including two people near and dear to CAE. 

We are delighted to share that Reeve Basom, CAE’s Place-Based Education Coordinator, received an award. She was nominated by the Civic Standard and presented with the award by Rose Friedman. 

We are also pleased to share that CAE nominated Vaiva Velzis for the Humanitarian Award. Vavia is the Community School Coordinator at Hazen Union School, and works closely with Reeve in Place-Based Education. 

Below are the speeches that share the talents and skills, and heart that lead to this community-wide recognition. We are so lucky to have them both as part of the CAE and Hardwick area community.

*Drawings in the email header are thank you notes to Reeve from third graders at Hardwick Elementary School, for helping them make the annual Hardwick Elementary School Harvest Dinner a success in 2024.

REFRIGERATION POD | FOOD HUB HEAT SOURCE 🏗
The brand new refrigeration unit has arrived at the Food Hub! This 18,000 lb refrigeration pod from Turner Piping Inc was expertly lifted into place by Demag Riggers and Crane Service earlier this month. The weather held out with minimal wind, and we even had a peek of sunshine for this incredible maneuver! ☀️

CAE is constructing the Food Hub with a net-zero-ready design, and has worked with Turner Piping Inc to implement a CO₂ refrigeration system. This innovative system has zero greenhouse gas emissions and is very energy efficient. As the system operates, it generates waste heat that is recaptured and used as the primary heat source for the entire 12,500 SF of CAE's space in the building.