NH Food System Statewide Gathering

Join us to explore several local food access programs, including Double Up Food Bucks, Granite State Market Match, NH Feeding NH, NOFA-NH’s Farm Share Program, and WIC Farmers Market Nutrition Program that make fresh, locally grown food more accessible to all community members. We will begin with an overview of each program and an update about how recent policy changes and shifts in funding have affected these programs.

Finally, we will break out by program to brainstorm and focus how we, as a food community, can work together to ensure these programs continue to thrive and evolve in the years ahead. Whether through innovative funding strategies, policy advocacy, or community partnerships, your ideas and insights will be key in shaping the future of food access in our region.

Recommendations and briefs this session addresses:

• Expand Granite State Market Match and strengthen local food access infrastructure (Nutrition Access & Security)
• Expand and integrate local food nutrition incentive programs (Direct-to-Consumer & Consumer Education)

That’s right! We can create more affordable housing for Granite Staters while protecting New Hampshire’s most valuable farmland and inspiring more food production. We’ll get into how during this breakout session with a panel of farmers and conservation and planning professionals who will share strategies to create more housing and protect land for food production. Moderated by NH Housing’s Sarah Writghtsman, panelists will share about their work incorporating innovative zoning ordinances, creating flexible conservation easements, building on-farm accessory dwelling units, and developing cluster subdivisions with food production-friendly HOA agreements. Each panelist will host a breakout group specific to their strategy to answer questions and workshop ideas with breakout session attendees who may want to use the strategy in their own work.

Recommendations and briefs this session addresses:

• Support communities to find solutions at the intersection of agriculture and housing (Labor & Workforce)
• Convene housing and agricultural advocates on land use issues (Land Use Planning)
• Collaborate with local governments to support zoning changes to allow affordable housing on farm properties (Supporting Future & Beginning Farmers)
• Decrease barriers to hiring on-farm help: Collaborate with local governments to support zoning changes to allow affordable housing on farm properties, including for employees, to address both housing and labor needs, while introducing a potential revenue stream during shoulder seasons. (Fruits & Vegetables)

Explore innovative strategies for integrating agricultural education into school curriculums, fostering hands-on learning and creating real-world experiences for students through Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs and Extended Learning Opportunities (ELOs). We'll discuss the role of CTE programs in providing career pathways in agriculture and how ELOs can support experiential learning, connecting students with local farms, food systems, and agriculture-related industries. This session will provide actionable insights into creating more opportunities for the next generation to gain essential skills and knowledge in food and agriculture.

Challenges and briefs this session addresses:

• New Hampshire’s slaughter and processing skilled labor force is in jeopardy; facilities face labor shortages, while Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs have been cut from schools, leading to graduates with no experience or relevant skills in the industry. (Meat & Eggs)
• High school CTE programs have dropped agriculture programs in favor of computer and technology programs. (Food System Literacy, Early Childhood to School-Age Children)

Farmers can play a crucial role in managing food waste in rural areas, where alternative diversion options are limited. With access to land, equipment, and the motivation to create compost systems at various scales, farmers are well-positioned to lead these efforts. Many farms already have the raw materials needed for composting, and the nutrient-rich end product is valuable to the land.

Join the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) and the Composting Association of Vermont (CAV) to learn about CAV’s On-Farm Community Composting project model, which has proven to be successful in helping farms start food scrap composting and better manage their manure. Presenters will highlight successful case studies from New Hampshire and Vermont farms already involved in the project and explain how the online toolkit can help others replicate similar composting programs across New Hampshire.

Recommendations and briefs this session addresses:

• Replicate the Composting Association of Vermont’s program on farms (Wasted Food)

New Hampshire farmers and food businesses face economic challenges ranging from simple to complex, a fact that has become increasingly clear through the strategic planning process and discussions of the NH Ag Financiers. The farm business technical assistance service providers poised to address those challenges have fluctuating capacity, availability, and a wide ranging set of skills and specialities. Additionally, as many TA providers prepare to retire, there’s a growing need for succession planning within the industry.

The idea of creating a network of farm business technical service providers to address these needs emerged from the Farm Business Technical Assistance brief. What could such a network look like? Join the discussion to help shape a vision that we can refine and develop further.

Recommendations and briefs this session addresses:

• Create collaborative partnerships between existing farm business technical service providers (Farm Business Technical Assistance)

The need for streamlined pathways that connect New Hampshire’s wholesale buyers with wholesale-ready producers was evident throughout the NH Food and Agriculture Strategic Plan and was spelled out in recommendations within almost every market brief. Join Katelyn Porter, Value Chain Coordinator for the NH Food Alliance, as she introduces the brand-new NH Wholesale Producer Directory, a project of the NH Food Alliance and the NH Department of Agriculture, Markets, and Food, that is a response to this identified need. Learn about its features and goals and, through this interactive session, provide your feedback and ideas to help shape the next iteration of the directory into one that best supports local food sales in the Granite State.

Recommendations and briefs this session addresses:

• Create a catalog of wholesale-ready farms, producers, and products (Grocery Stores & Food Cooperatives)
• Create and fund work facilitating wholesale buyer and food producer/hub relationships (Institutional Markets)
• Create a wholesale farm-to-restaurant website and communication system (Restaurants)

Agritourism can offer valuable opportunities for farms, but requires diversified knowledge spanning agriculture, finance, hospitality, marketing, visitor safety, and more. This session will be an interactive workshop that focuses on identifying: 1) which forums and resources are currently the most helpful to agritourism businesses and other interested tourism-focused organizations for knowledge sharing, networking, and cross-promotion, and 2) and what is still needed to create more opportunities for such engagement. 

The group will explore questions such as: How can operators best support one another, building interest in agritourism experiences statewide? How can relationships with local, regional, and state tourism/promotional organizations be further developed toward advancing the overall industry? Anyone who is interested in agritourism industry development in New Hampshire is welcome to join the conversation.

Recommendations and briefs this session addresses:

• Encourage knowledge sharing amongst agritourism operators (Agritourism)
• Increase support for business planning and evaluation of agritourism activities (Agritourism)

A common theme that came through loud and clear in the development of the NH Food and Agriculture Strategic Plan is the strong desire for a distinct brand and identity for New Hampshire-grown, raised, and produced foods. Significant progress is already being made toward this goal, and we want to ensure your voice is a part of shaping its future. Join the NH Department of Agriculture, Markets, and Food for an interactive session that serves as an opportunity to dive into the branding discussion. Share your thoughts on why a brand is crucial, how it might be used, and which key themes and values are most important for it to express. Your input will support this work as we explore the creation of a brand that truly represents New Hampshire’s agricultural identity.

Recommendations and briefs this session addresses:

• Establish a coordinated statewide local food promotion program (Direct-to-Consumer & Consumer Education)
• Highlight “NH Grown and Crafted” beverage producers to drive tourism (Craft Beverages)
• Launch and fund a consumer marketing initiative for local seafood (Seafood)

Join Anton Bekkerman, Director of the NH Agricultural Experiment Station (NH AES) for a session that will explore the vital role NH AES plays in advancing food-related research and driving innovation in agriculture across the state and provide a synthesis of key research needs identified in the NH Food and Agriculture Strategic Plan. Whether you are a researcher, policy maker, industry leader, or community advocate, this session will provide you with valuable tools to engage with the food-related research happening in New Hampshire and make a lasting impact on the future of New Hampshire’s agriculture and food system.

Recommendations this session addresses:

• All Research-focused recommendations. View them here.