Please join the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont (NOFA-VT) for a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) and Farmers' Market gathering to be held on Saturday January 11 at the Royalton Academy Building in Royalton, Vermont.  Everyone is welcome - beginning farmers, experienced farmers, non-farmers, and interested consumers.  This meeting is free, and you may attend the morning and/or afternoon sessions.

The program is sponsored by the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont (NOFA-VT), with support from Vital Communities, the Center for Sustainable Agriculture at UVM, and the Vermont Department of Agriculture.  Please contact the NOFA office, 802-434-4122 to RSVP if you will be attending one or both sessions.

MORNING SESSION::  A Gathering of the Vermont CSA Network

9-10 am        Roundtable discussion and sharing of ideas
                    CSA farmers in Vermont will share ideas for 2003, based on experiences from 2002.
                    Discussion on sucesses and challeges of the past season.

10am-12pm   Discussion of CSA Cooperative Marketing
                    How can farmers work together to more effectively meet CSA shareholder demand for diverse products?
                    What factors need to be considered when entering a cooperative marketing relationship with other farmers?

Both Mike Collins, from a multi-farm CSA in Putney area, and a representative of the Concord Cooperative CSA of NH will be at the morning session to share and outline their cooperative marketing model.

12pm-1pm    Pot-Luck Lunch   (full kitchen is available for reheating dishes)

AFTERNOON SESSION:    A first gathering of the Vermont Farmers' Market Collective

1-5 pm        Discussion and Panel Presentation on the potential for a Vermont Farmers' Market Collective

Join with market managers and vendors to discuss the potential of a Farmers' Market Collective for Vermont.

A panel of farmers who have been involved in collaborative marketing will outline pros and cons of forming a Vermont Farmers' Market Collective.
The panelists are:

Emmett Dunbar, Anjali Farms, South Londonderry and NOFA-VT Farmers' Market Coordinator formerly of the Pacific Coast Farmers' Markets in CA and the Green Markets in NY.

Tom Herrmann, farmer, Strafford, NH and member of the Seagrowers Assocation of New Hampshire

Allen Matthews, Program Director, the Center for Sustainable Agriculture, UVM, formerly of the Penn's Corner Farm Marekt Network and Penn's Corner Farm Alliance in Western PA.

Regional Group Discussion:
Attendees will gather with other members of their marketing region to identify collective goals and steps towards achieving those goals.

For more infomation:  Please contact the NOFA-VT office (802) 434-4122 or info@nofavt.org.

NOFA-VT is an organization of farmers, gardeners, and consumers working to promote an economically viable and ecologically sound Vermont food system for the benefit of current and future generations.