A U.S. Department of Agriculture official is visiting farms in Vermont and New Hampshire to discuss how the growing agricultural economy is helping to create jobs and expand local and regional food systems.
Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan starts in Vermont today, where she’ll tour the Brattleboro Food Co-op. The co-op has grown from a tiny warehouse storefront in 1979 to the $17 million operation it is today.
In New Hampshire, Merrigan will visit the Stonewall Farm in Walpole. It’s a nonprofit working farm and educational center.
She’ll also tour the site of the new Monadnock Community Market Co-op, which is scheduled to open in early 2013. The new co-op will provide farmers the opportunity to sell their food locally.
Merrigan is also expected to meet with students and faculty at New Hampshire’s Keene State College.