Due to unforeseen circumstances, this brigade has been cancelled. More work brigades coming in June and beyond!
Rural Vermont and the Vermont Growers Association are excited to announce a partnership with Ben Grunrow and Stephen Davidson of Treetop Alliance, a beautiful Tier 2 outdoor cannabis operation in Elmore. We hope you will join us for the first of our 2026 cannabis workshop series: the Vegetative Mid-Season Maintenance & Flower Preparation Workshop.
This workshop will be held on Saturday, June 13th, from 10am - 1pm, at Treetop Alliance for a hands-on, peer-to-peer learning experience. Ben and Stephen will lead us through spring soil preparation techniques, then delve into essential mid-season fertigation strategies, and conclude with practical approaches to pathogen prevention and pest management. Whether you are a new or seasoned grower, this workshop will offer valuable insights and networking opportunities with fellow cultivators.
The workshop will cover (but is not limited to) the following topics:
*Soil Health and Fertility: Farm available Holistic Fertigation Practices
*Flowers and Biological Influence: Predatory Insects (Syrphid, Braconid, etc), their Lifecycles, and how to influence their inhabitants on your farm.
*Pathogen Prevention and Practices: When, How, and Why
In addition, Rural Vermont and VGA will provide important legislative and policy updates from the statehouse and will be available to answer your questions throughout the workshop. Don’t miss this opportunity to stay informed and engaged with Vermont’s evolving cannabis landscape.
TICKET PRICE: $20 - $40 (Sliding Scale)
NOTES
*Participants must be 21 years of age or older.
*Registrant names and contact numbers will be provided to the workshop host for their visitor log (mandatory record-keeping for CCB compliance).
*Address will be given to registered attendees prior to the workshop.
*Light snacks provided.
*Please bring a water bottle and please dress comfortably for the weather. This is a 3-hour outdoor workshop. Please keep this in mind when dressing/preparing for the day!
*Once you pick your ticket price, quantity, and and click the “Add to Cart” button. You will be asked to affirm you are 21 years of age then please look in the top right corner of the screen to the shopping bag/cart symbol, then click on the symbol to complete check out.
Join Rural Vermont for one of our favorite annual traditions! Our friends at American Flatbread / Stowe Hearth will be donating a portion of all dine-in and take-out flatbread sales to Rural Vermont. Gather up a crew and head to Stowe! While there, stop by the Rural Vermont table to say hello, snag a sticker, catch up on ag policy, and make some art with us!
Rural Vermont is partnering with our farmer friends at Maple Wind Farm on Friday, August 14th, and we hope you'll join us to chat, make some art, get yourself (temporarily) tattoo'd, hear about the latest RV initiatives, check out our merch, and more!
Bring along a tee to make and take your very own Rural Vermont shirt!
Join Rural Vermont for one of our favorite annual traditions! Our friends at American Flatbread / Burlington will be donating a portion of all dine-in and take-out flatbread sales to Rural Vermont. Gather up a crew and head to Burlington! While there, stop by the Rural Vermont table to say hello, snag a sticker, catch up on ag policy, and make some art with us!
May Day is for working people! If you aren’t a billionaire, show up for some of the hardest-working farmers in our community on May 1st! This all-day picket will be happening on May 1st from 7 am - 11 pm, with a 5 pm march on the Ice Data Center and a Rally at 7 pm to follow.
Rural Vermont will be at the Williston Hannafords to support Migrant Justice and demand better conditions for dairy workers in our state from 11 am - 1 pm.
Join the Vermont Wild Kitchen and North Branch Nature Center for a spring evening of smoked turkey, spring edibles, and fun discussion. We’ll go on a spring wild edibles walk to look for and learn about ramps and fiddleheads. Then we’ll talk about smoking turkey, spring turkey hunting season, and farming turkeys. Everyone will make some ramp compound butter and then enjoy a meal together. Bring your appetites, your questions, your friends, and meet us in the Vermont Wild Kitchen.
We hope you will join Rural Vermont for an evening book reading & discussion with Alexis Lathem (Lambs in Winter) & Teresa Mares (Will Work for Food) centered on farming, food, activism, & the people that make it all work!
Tuesday, March 24th
6:00pm - 7:15pm
Kellogg Hubbard Library
Hayes Room
Montpelier
This event is free; registration is encouraged!
Protect Farmland from Municipal Regulations!
Due to a 2025 Vermont Supreme Court ruling, farms and farming in VT are no longer exempt from municipal zoning, which means towns can regulate where growing food is allowed, what animals can be raised, or when machinery can be operated, among other possibilities. We are working with other agricultural organizations ( Vermont Farm Bureau, Agri Mark, Cabot, the Vermont Dairy Producers Alliance, NOFA-VT, the Vermont Association of Conservation Districts, the Connecticut River Watershed Farmers Alliance, Farm to Plate, and the Land Access and Opportunity Board) and lawmakers to address this and restore the exemption. Join our coalition for an informational webinar on Tuesday, March 26th, from 9:30am - 11:00am to hear about the ongoing work around this issue, our coalition’s proposal, and to receive your valued feedback.
RSVP required to receive the webinar link!
Join Rural Vermont for one of our favorite annual traditions! Our friends at American Flatbread / Burlington will be donating a portion of all dine-in and take-out flatbread sales to Rural Vermont. Gather up a crew and head to Burlington! While there, stop by the Rural Vermont table to say hello, snag a sticker, catch up on ag policy, and make some art with us!
Each year, Rural Vermont invites farmer members and ally organizations to learn about and engage in the legislative process, advocacy, and pending policy during the legislative session. This event series offers farmers and the broader agrarian community—homesteaders, gardeners, urban farmers, medicine makers, and food activists—opportunities to speak with lawmakers, voice their real-life concerns, and gain empowerment through learning more about the legislative process. We will be hosting Small Farm Action Day at the Vermont State House in Montpelier on Thursday, February 26th, from 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM!
Please join us at the NOFA-VT Winter Conference on Saturday, February 14th! We'll have a crew in the Exhibitor's Hall making art and slinging info - stop on by! Also, Mollie Wills, Rural Vermont's Grassroots Organizing Director, and Graham Unangst-Rufenacht, RV's Policy Director, will both be presenting! Mollie will be presenting Internationalism & Why it Matters: Building Power in Vermont through Global Food Sovereignty with Martha Caswell on Saturday, the 14th, from 2:15 pm - 3:30 pm. Additionally, Graham will be co-leading a roundtable along with NOFA and Action Circles on Opportunities for Progress through State Policy Change on Saturday, the 14th, from 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm.
Rural Vermont is partnering with our friends at ACORN to offer farmers and farmworkers a restful day at Middlebury's Marble Works on Sunday, December 7, 11:30am-3:30pm.
Please use the links below to RSVP to the event. We have group and individual wellness sessions:
Restorative Yoga (group)
Song Circle (group)
Massage (individual)
Herbal consultations (individual)
Hydrotherapy (small groups of 4-5, but sign up as individuals)
Food, tea, snacks all day
If you’d like to participate in an individual session, please sign up via this link. Register for group sessions here. See the full schedule here.
Tea and chocolate will be served at Stone Leaf Teahouse throughout the afternoon, and a catered lunch will be served at Otter Creek Yoga. The entire day, and all offerings, are free of charge for farmworkers and farmers.
This is offered in collaboration with Big thanks to Otter Creek Yoga, Stone Leaf Teahouse and Green Mountain Shakti for hosting us!
Join us for a series of three webinar presentations by Vermont Legal Aid staff specifically centered on the needs of the farming community related to healthcare and taxation. Submit your questions in advance or bring them to each webinar to get the most out of this opportunity (questions can be submitted within the RSVP). A presentation from Vermont Legal Aid staff will be followed by an overview of opportunities for how to increase engagement or take action around healthcare. This series is co-hosted by NOFA-VT and Rural Vermont. AnRSVP is required to receive the webinar link and information.
Come join Rural Vermont and Mary Lake on Saturday, November 15th at Wild Earth Farm in Randolph for a lamb on-farm slaughter and processing workshop. In the first half of this 2-part workshop, participants will learn how to slaughter a lamb humanely and then how to efficiently butcher and process a lamb in the second half.
Stand with farmworkers on Saturday, 11/15. Join the Milk with Dignity pickets of Hannaford Supermarket in Morrisville (10am-12pm), South Burlington (1-3pm), or Middlebury (4-6pm) – or come along for all three!
4:00-5:00 pm - Optional Pratt Refuge Land Walk
5:00-7:00pm - VWK Program
Join the Vermont Wild Kitchen and Vermont Land Trust for an evening of Venison Stew! We’ll be gathering at the Pratt Refuge in Duxbury, Vermont with Ella Mighell of Bread and Butter Farm and others for a night of good food and discussion. Bring your appetites, your questions, your friends, and meet us in the Vermont Wild Kitchen.
The event is free but registration is required and limited.
Join Rural Vermont for one of our favorite annual traditions! Our friends at American Flatbread / Stowe Hearth will be donating a portion of all dine-in and take-out flatbread sales to Rural Vermont. Gather up a crew and head to Burlington! While there, stop by the Rural Vermont table to say hello, snag a sticker, catch up on ag policy, and make some art with us!
Please join Rural Vermont and Merck Forest and Farmland Center in Rupert, Vermont on Saturday, November 1 for a pig slaughter and processing workshop.
Rural Vermont and Vermont Growers Association are excited to present a workshop collaboration at Tilia Hills! Tilia Hills is a small, diversified farm licensed as a Tier 1 Outdoor Cultivator, located in Franklin County and operated by husband and wife team Ethan Kramer and Kristin Wolford. Ethan and Kristin welcome us to their gorgeous outdoor cannabis operation.
Please join the Vermont Cannabis Equity Coalition on Saturday, October 25, from 2:00 pm to 4:30 pm at the North Branch Nature Center in Montpelier for an in-person community discussion open to industry professionals and community members. This event is free, but pre-registration is helpful! We see a significant amount of valid anger and tension from active licensees, those who have exited the market, those who still wish to join the market, medical patients, caregivers, patrons, and allies who seek improvement. Save the date! We want to hear from you!
For four decades, Rural Vermont has been proudly amplifying farmer voices, fighting for a farm and food system that cares for farmers, the people they feed, the ecosystems they nurture, and the communities they support.We’re ending this milestone year with an epic 40th celebration on Sunday, October 19th from 4-7pm at the Old Labor Hall in Barre, and you’re invited! There will be a potluck, live band, cash bar, art-making, stories, and lots more. Join us for an evening of joy, reflection, and community — let’s make it the celebration of the year! Help us plan by RSVPing ASAP.
Rural Vermont is partnering with our farmer friends across the state to celebrate our 40th anniversary this summer! We'll be at Earth Sky Time Farm on Sunday, September 28th and are excited to share our beautifully vivid four-panel mural chronicling four decades of amplifying farmer voices! We hope you'll join us to chat, make some art, get yourself (temporarily) tattoo'd, snag some birthday cake, check out our NEW 40th merch, and more!
Bring along a tee to make and take your very own Rural Vermont shirt!
Please join us at Union Brook Farm in Northfield for a chicken processing workshop on Sunday, September 29 from 1:00pm - 4:00pm!
Rural Vermont is partnering with our farmer friends across the state to celebrate our 40th anniversary this summer! We'll be at Fledge Fest on Saturday, August 23rd and are excited to share our beautifully vivid four-panel mural chronicling four decades of amplifying farmer voices! We hope you'll join us to chat, make some art, get yourself (temporarily) tattoo'd, snag some birthday cake, check out our NEW 40th merch, and more!
Bring along a tee to make and take your very own Rural Vermont shirt!
Rural Vermont and Vermont Growers Association are excited to present a cannabis workshop collaboration at Old Growth Vermont in Danville with instruction by Shane of Old Growth Vermont and Jay Herbert from Vermont Compost Company! Old Growth Vermont is a licensed Tier 3 Outdoor Cultivator located in Danville and our farm hosts, Jesse and Shane, welcome us to their gorgeous cannabis operation, which is managed with regenerative practices.
Come join Rural Vermont and Mary Lake on Saturday, August 16th at Smokeshire Hilltop Farm in Chester for a lamb on-farm slaughter and processing workshop. In the first half of this 2-part workshop, participants will learn how to slaughter a lamb humanely and then how to efficiently butcher and process a lamb in the second half.
Rural Vermont and the People’s Agroecology School are honored to present the second annual 2025 Short Course in People’s Agroecology: 8/8-8/12. The 2025 Short Course is held in loving memory of Bruce Kaufman of Riverside Farm, a founding member and leader of the Vermont Agroecology School.
Farmers, farmworkers, and agrarian activists come together from across Vermont, Canada, the US, Puerto Rico and beyond for a 5 day course focused on farm work brigades, farmer exchanges, and political education workshops in and around the Northeast Kingdom, with a home base at Wheelock Mtn Farm in Greensboro Bend.
The Short Course will be an opportunity to get to know incredible comrades near and far in the struggle for agroecology and food sovereignty.
This is a bilingual event; English/Spanish interpretation available. Space is limited, and RSVP is required. Due to capacity constraints, this event is limited to farmers and farmworkers, who are encouraged to join for the parts of the course that they are interested in and able. The Friday evening event in Greensboro is open to all. Questions? Email mollie@ruralvermont.org.
Please note: exact times are subject to shift slightly. Full details and schedule will be emailed after RSVP. Deadline for RSVP is Monday, 8/4.
Schedule:
Friday 8/8
8:30 am Opening mistica and introductions
11:45-12:45 pm lunch
1-4pm Community Scale Agroecology (vermiculture, compost & nutrient cycling; scaling up agroecology) at Black Dirt Farm, Stannard
5-6 pm Dinner at Wheelock Mtn Farm
7pm Panel @ Greensboro United Church - Organizing for Agroecology with Rural Vermont and the People’s Agroecology School, with Graham Unangst-Rufenacht of Robinson Hill Beef, Hannah Pearce of Hillside Farm, and Tom Gilbert of Black Dirt Farm - Public event open to all!
Saturday, 8/9 - Barre, VT
9am-4pm Dawn Land Farm Work Brigade
4-5:30pm - Russell Maroon Shoatz III Political Education discussion
6pm Farmer and Farmworker dinner, Barre
Sunday, 8/10
8:15- 11:15am Work Brigade at Riverside Farm, East Hardwick
12-1pm-lunch at Wheelock Mtn Farm, Greensboro Bend
1-2:15pm Work Brigade with Northeast Kingdom Organizing and Barton Celebrates, Barton (CANCELLED)
3pm The Domestic Resurrection Revolution - Bread and Puppet Circus, Glover
6pm Dinner at Wheelock Mtn Farm, Greensboro Bend
7pm Evening discussion: Popular Education and Mutual Aid: Tools for People’s Agroecology - Wheelock Mountain Farm, Greensboro Bend
Monday, 8/11
8 am-12pm Work brigade at Cate Hill Orchard
12pm Lunch @ Cate Hill Orchard, discussion led by Yorlis Luna - Bees, Pollinators, & Popular Peasant Feminism
2:30pm Tour & Overview of the Food Venture Center and the Center for an Agricultural Economy (CAE), Harwick
5:30-6:30pm Community Meal at Atkin’s Field in Hardwick
7pm Farmer Organizing in Latin America - Freddy Congo Suarez & Yorlis Luna, Wheelock Mtn Farm, Greensboro Bend
Tuesday, 8/12 - All activities at Wheelock Mtn Farm, Greensboro Bend
12pm Lunch
2-4pm People's Workshop on Natural Medicine, Health & Wellbeing
6:30pm Closing Dinner
Join the Vermont Wild Kitchen, Samantha Langevin from Liberation Ecosystem, and the crew from The Farm Upstream (Jake, Cory, Spencer, & Jaq) on Thursday, July 31st from 5:30pm - 8:00pm in Jericho for an evening of campfire cooking and community gathering. We’ll be making kebabs with wild game and sides with fresh veggies from The Farm Upstream. Bring your appetites, your questions, your friends, and meet us in the Vermont Wild Kitchen.
This event is FULL and walk-ins cannot be accommodated.
Please join us at Hillside Farm in the Northeast Kingdom for a chicken processing workshop on Sunday, July 20th from 9:00am - 12:00pm!
Hannah and Bill Pearce will teach participants the basics of raising, slaughtering, and processing pastured meat chickens. Participants get to take home one whole delicious meat bird! If there is time and interest, Bill & Hannah will lead us through instructions for the cutting/parting of whole birds.
Rural Vermont is partnering with our farmer friends across the state to celebrate our 40th anniversary this summer! We'll be at Crossmolina Farm on Saturday, July 12th and are excited to share our beautifully vivid four-panel mural chronicling four decades of amplifying farmer voices! We hope you'll join us to chat, make some art, get yourself (temporarily) tattoo'd, snag some birthday cake, check out our NEW 40th merch, and more!
Bring along a tee to make and take your very own Rural Vermont shirt!
2025 marks Rural Vermont’s 40th anniversary and we’re planning some parties to celebrate! Join us for our first gathering on June 1st in Franklin County with wood-fired pizza, art-making, story-telling, and live music by Rusty Bucket! Our guest of honor will be the one and only Doug Flack of Flack Family Farm.
Join the Vermont Wild Kitchen and farmer Tyler Renaud of Field Stone Farm for a hands-on pizza making workshop. We'll top our pies with foraged edibles, venison sausage, and seasonal farm finds while we chat about all the delicious foods that spring has to offer!
Dance/movement class (Intro to Nia! Info below), massage therapy sessions, community acupuncture, and herbalist consultations and formulations, all FREE for farmers! Take a break from the spring chaos and come build community and get pampered! Childcare, lunch, and community connection space provided.
SCHEDULE
10:00am - 11:30am: Introduction to Nia workshop with Jane Mann. Please arrive by 10am for a 10:15 sharp start time.
Nia is a sensory based movement workshop that draws on dance arts, healing arts, and martial arts to sooth, energize, and empower body and soul. Nia is fun, highly accessible, and can easily be modified to fit a wide range of ages and abilities. There is capacity for more people to participate in this section of the day than in the "wellness stations". Come one, come all!
11:30am - 2:00pm: Wellness Stations (includes massage therapy, acupuncture, and herbal consultations & formulation)
30-minute slots for herbal consultations with Clinical Herbalist Lizzie Golden
15-minute massage therapy sessions with Steen Croitoru, CMT
Community acupuncture with Hadley Clark, L.Ac.
*There will be a shared meal and community space to relax, rejuvenate, and connect with local farmers during downtime between sessions.
Please note: this event is for working farmers to show gratitude and appreciation for the people who feed our communities, and to honor the tremendous physical and emotional effort that it takes to do so. Space is very limited and we expect this event to fill up with a waitlist. Practitioners are paid through Rural Vermont so farmers can access wellness services for free. Registration required, lots of info about the event, what to bring, and practitioner information here.
Each year, Rural Vermont invites our farmer members and ally organizations to learn about and engage in the legislative process, advocacy, and pending policy during the legislative session. This event series offers farmers and the agrarian community at large - homesteaders, gardeners, (urban) farmers, medicine makers, and food activists alike - opportunities to speak with lawmakers, voice their real-life issues, and to empowerment from learning more about the legislative process. In 2025, we’ll be hosting Small Farm Action Das at the Vermont State House in Montpelier:
Wednesday, April 23rd 8am to 12pm
Join us for one event or both! These half-day events are designed for those who are curious to learn more about navigating and influencing the legislative process, as well as to gain access to members of the agricultural committees. Attendees will build skills, connections, and experience to confidently and effectively advocate for the wants and needs of themselves and their communities. Rural Vermont will offer a virtual advocacy training before April 23 for those who are interested. If you plan to testify on April 23, it is highly recommended you attend the pre-SFAD virtual training (attending the training is not required).
EVENT SCHEDULE
APRIL 23
8:00am - Welcome & Introductions in the Statehouse Cafeteria
9:00am - 10:00am House Ag Committee
10:30am - 11:30am Senate Ag Committee
11:30am - 1:00pm Meet and Greet with your Legislator and Join Rural Vermont staff in the Statehouse cafeteria for lunch and discussion
We will begin with a brief orientation in the statehouse lobby where we will give time for introductions and to reach out to your legislators through the State House’s Page messaging system. Afterwards, we will visit the Senate and House Agriculture Committees, where participants of our group will have a chance to testify on pending legislation and to express needs and issues they face that may not be reflected in legislation yet. After we visit both committees, your local Senator or Legislator might be interested in meeting with you for lunch in the statehouse cafeteria! Alternatively, you are welcome to join Rural Vermont staff for lunch.
We encourage you to sign up for the virtual advocacy training (signup in our registration form) and/or visit our activist toolkit (link below) before your participation in Small Farm Action Day on April 23rd. For those interested, show up in solidarity and follow live on YouTube to hear what your peers bring to legislators attention that day! Hope you all may join us for Small Farm Action Day in 2025 - registration required!
