Pete Johnson picks beets and lettuce on leased land in South Albany. Photo: Stefan Hard/Times Argus file

A Vt. leader gets some green for his greens CRAFTSBURY – A Craftsbury farm renowned for its organic, tender salad greens will expand at breakneck speed in the coming year. Pete Johnson's eponymous agriculture operation won a $57,055 "Value Added Producer Grant" from the United States Department of Agriculture this week. He is one of four Vermont businesses sharing about $400,000 in federal money aimed at improving the profitability of agricultural producers in the state. Johnson says the expansion, which will more than double the number of community-supported agriculture shares sold by the farm, reflects fast growth in an emerging Vermont market. "I don't think I heard the term 'localvore' until 18 months ago," Johnson says. "In the last year, we have had the sense on the farm that demand is growing at a much greater rate than it ever has in the 10 years we've been doing this." The localvore movement stresses buying food locally and supporting local agriculture for health, environmental, economic and culinary reasons. Besides Pete's Greens, USDA grants also went to Cabot Creamery and Lincoln AgriSource, a timber operation in Randolph. Cabot will use its $149,000 grant to expand production of its premium-market natural-rind cheddar cheese. Lincoln AgriSource got a $74,412 grant to examine the feasibility of converting pulp, a low grade wood product, into a biomass fuel for an on-farm renewable energy operation. Johnson, required to match the grant with his own money and spend it all within the next year, will use the funds to expand his on-farm kitchen as well as build an on-site retail outlet. He also plans to grow more produce, including his trademark greens, and increase the number of CSA shares from 100 to 250. "We're not really trying to increase the wholesale business," says Johnson, who sells to restaurants and caterers in Boston and New York City. "We're focused on farmers market, CSAs, and the farm stands. We're trying to sell more directly to consumers. It's been great for us the last year or two. We find it really gratifying." At a farm with the slogan "Vermont Can Feed Itself," Johnson is attempting to diversify the range of culinary options. Freezing perishables, storing root crops, fermenting cabbage into sauerkraut and concocting various new products in the kitchen (like his popular vegetable soup base), Johnson says, creates economic opportunity for his farm while ensuring a stable supply of items for aspiring localvores. "This time next year we will have a lot of different products available," says Johnson, who is also planning to sell more meat. "Our goal is not to make these things to then sell to stores. We're really planning to make a lot of different things and offer it for direct sale." Johnson says Vermont's growing micro-agriculture industry isn't without its pains. As demand for local products grows, Johnson says, so too does the need for land and infrastructure to support it. "The reality is it takes a lot of food to feed not a very big number of people for the whole year … Pretty quickly, you start to look at a lot more acres," Johnson says. "And it's not just land, it's also infrastructure. Root cellars, small-scale processing facilities, slaughtering facilities – there's a lot of stuff that needs to be built and put into production and the sooner the better. It'd be a shame to build this demand and not be able to have the supply."

By Peter Hirschfeld Times Argus Staff

MONTPELIER – Vermont's growing season may be curbed by cold weather, but the thriving marketplace it feeds is not.

The weekly Saturday Montpelier Farmers Market, until now a fair-weather phenomenon, will expand this winter into a year-round enterprise.

"I'm hoping this winter market will really open people's eyes to what is available in Vermont throughout the whole year," says Jessie Schmidt, manager of the Montpelier market. "Vendors are working harder to extend their seasons … There's just a lot more available now."

The wintertime market, to be held in the Vermont College gymnasium from 10 a.m. -2 p.m. on the first Saturday of every month beginning in December, won't be as frequent an occasion as its summertime companion. But the monthly event, Schmidt says, will spotlight the expanding scope of local offerings.

"Farmers work really hard storing an incredible amount and variety of vegetables," Schmidt says. "Traditional root crops – carrots and potatoes, and items like squash, rutabagas, will be available. Vendors also have been successful at extending their seasons, so you can expect to see some winter greens and herbs as well."

Local livestock farmers also will sell their products, offering everything from lamb sausage to T-bone steaks.

The move could strengthen a micro-agriculture industry already in the midst of a boom, according to vendors who derive significant income from the summer market. A surge in demand for locally grown produce and other agricultural products, Schmidt says, has driven efforts to help Vermont farmers capitalize on the new market.

"We're creating a new niche for some farmers out there trying to make a go of it," says Schmidt, a Chelsea resident. "You go down to the market right now and it's packed. And I think people are really excited about what they can get locally and they feel good about connecting with farmers and supporting the local economy."

The Montpelier Farmers Market, held every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in a parking lot off State Street, has exploded in popularity in the last decade. Schmidt says gross receipts in 2006 topped $428,000. This year, she expects the figure to near the half-million-dollar mark.

Pete Johnson, owner of Pete's Greens in Craftsbury, says local produce and livestock farmers are deriving greater percentages of their annual revenue from direct-to-consumer sales at farmers markets.

"We get a little bit more of the retail dollar," Johnson says.

While farmers appreciate shelf space at cooperatives and other retail outlets, according to Johnson, farmers markets and roadside stands offer commercial opportunities that don't exist in the wholesale paradigm. Specialty items, like lacimoto kale or broccoli raab, for instance, aren't likely to draw orders from places like Hunger Mountain Cooperative in Montpelier. At a farmers market, they can sell out quickly.

"You can sell just about anything, as long as high quality," Johnson says.

Johnson says farmers are responding to increased demand for local products by expanding on-farm storing techniques, be it freezing, canning or fermenting. And Schmidt says many vendors will offer jams, preserves, pickles, syrups, honey and other locally produced goods.

"It'll be a good influx of other vendors that haven't had an opportunity to participate in the regular-season market," Schmidt says. "It'll be a neat experience and provide a kind of new energy to the whole market scene."

Suzanne Hechmer, executive director of the Montpelier Downtown Community Association, says the winter market could feed a retail boom in stores by infusing the downtown's dreary winter months with new vitality.

"Right now it's like a festival every Saturday. People go downtown, go to the market and once they're downtown they wander around, get coffee, pick up a book," Hechmer says of the summer market. "I'm hoping with the winter market, people will come from Vermont College to the downtown and we'll see that same thing happening."Schmidt, a Chelsea resident. "You go down to the market right now and it's packed. And I think people are really excited about what they can get locally and they feel good about connecting with farmers and supporting the local economy."

The Montpelier Farmers Market, held every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in a parking lot off State Street, has exploded in popularity in the last decade. Schmidt says gross receipts in 2006 topped $428,000. This year, she expects the figure to near the half-million-dollar mark.

Pete Johnson, owner of Pete's Greens in Craftsbury, says local produce and livestock farmers are deriving greater percentages of their annual revenue from direct-to-consumer sales at farmers markets.

"We get a little bit more of the retail dollar," Johnson says.

While farmers appreciate shelf space at cooperatives and other retail outlets, according to Johnson, farmers markets and roadside stands offer commercial opportunities that don't exist in the wholesale paradigm. Specialty items, like lacimoto kale or broccoli raab, for instance, aren't likely to draw orders from places like Hunger Mountain Cooperative in Montpelier. At a farmers market, they can sell out quickly.

"You can sell just about anything, as long as high quality," Johnson says.

Johnson says farmers are responding to increased demand for local products by expanding on-farm storing techniques, be it freezing, canning or fermenting. And Schmidt says many vendors will offer jams, preserves, pickles, syrups, honey and other locally produced goods.

"It'll be a good influx of other vendors that haven't had an opportunity to participate in the regular-season market," Schmidt says. "It'll be a neat experience and provide a kind of new energy to the whole market scene."

Suzanne Hechmer, executive director of the Montpelier Downtown Community Association, says the winter market could feed a retail boom in stores by infusing the downtown's dreary winter months with new vitality.

"Right now it's like a festival every Saturday. People go downtown, go to the market and once they're downtown they wander around, get coffee, pick up a book," Hechmer says of the summer market. "I'm hoping with the winter market, people will come from Vermont College to the downtown and we'll see that same thing happening."