Bristol, VT—Twenty farms and producers from Addison, Bennington, and Chittenden counties and upwards of 250 food lovers gathered at the Inn at Baldwin Creek at the end of September to celebrate a bountiful feast of locally raised foods prepared by chef-owner Doug Mack. For eleven years now, Mack and his wife Linda Harmon, supporters of local farmers for twenty-five years, have been welcoming guests to share in the harvest and meet the farmers who produce the food served at the inn. The silent auction at the annual event benefits a select organization that supports sustainable agriculture.
This year the Vermont Farm Women’s Fund (VtFYF) received more than $700 garnered from the generosity of participating farmers and author/photographer Peter Miller. Mary Peabody, director of the Women's Agricultural Network (WAgN) and VtFWF says, "We are honored to be the recipient of this year's Feast of Our Farms silent auction and are grateful to the event organizers for thinking of us and to the many farmers and artisans that donated products to the auction." The funds will be used to provide scholarship assistance for area farmers interested in attending business classes, conferences, workshops, trainings that will enhance their farms' profitability. VtFWF anticipates making these awards early in 2008.
The farms and producers who participated in 11th Annual Feast of Our Farms include Apple Ridge Farms, Shoreham; Baldwin Creek Gardens, Bristol; Blue Ledge Farm, Leicester; Boyden Farm Beef, Cambridge; Champlain Orchards, Shoreham; Champlain Valley Creamery, Vergennes; Gleason Organic Grains, Bridport; Last Resort Farm, Monkton; LedgEnd Farm, Middlebury; Lewis Creek Farm, Starksboro; Misty Knoll Farms, New Haven; Monument Farms Dairy, Weybridge; Orb Weaver Farm, New Haven; Otter Creek Brewing, Middlebury; Red Rock Ranch, Hinesburg; Shelburne Vineyards, Shelburne; Twig Farm, West Cornwall; Vermont Coffee Company, Bristol; Wilcox Ice Cream, Manchester; and Wood Creek Farm, Bridport.
VtFWF operates in partnership with WAgN to provide education and technical assistance to women in all phases of farm business management. The organization is dedicated to celebrating the women who have worked diligently to sustain Vermont's working landscape by providing resources to allow farm women to achieve their farming vision. The VtFWF was started with a generous gift from author/photographer Peter Miller upon the publication of his book Vermont Farm Women.
For further information visit www.innatbaldwincreek.com or www.uvm.edu/~wagn/