Agency seeks authority to use contracts as well as grants for farm-to-school work

Gina Clifero, farm-to-institution program manager at the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets, told the committee the agency seeks statutory flexibility to execute contracts as well as grants for farm-to-school and farm-to-institution work.

Clifero said grants and contracts are different legal tools: grants are open-ended awards that support general objectives, while contracts are appropriate when the state is asking a provider to perform a specific service. "If the state is asking an organization to provide a service to us, the best practice would be for that to be a contract rather than a grant," she said. The proposed change, she said, would give the agency discretion to choose the right tool for a given project so agreements can include measurable deliverables and outcomes.

Clifero provided two examples: a roughly $20,000 competitive grant awarded to the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont (NOFA-VT) to explore better ways to get local grains into school meals, and a separate contract (funded through Vermont Dairy Promotion Council funds) engaging a contractor to research summer-camp best practices and produce a guide for dairy farmers. She said the two examples demonstrate differences in project origin and the intended recipient of services: competitive grants often originate from community applicants, while contracts are used when the agency needs a specific product or service.

Abby Willard (Agency of Agriculture) offered to send the committee written examples of successful grants and contracts for the record. Betsy Rosenluth, farm-to-school director at Shelburne Farms and co-director of Vermont Feed, told the committee she supports the change, arguing that contracts could help secure reliable, statewide technical assistance that currently pairs with grants but can fall away in competitive cycles. "Contracts can be a tool to be more efficient in securing technical assistance and making that technical assistance available statewide to grantees," Rosenluth said.

Committee members asked the agency to provide concrete examples of previous grants, the recipients and the outcomes so the committee can explain differences when reporting to the full House. No formal action was taken; staff indicated they would supply the requested examples and the committee will continue consideration when the bill returns to committee work.

(Reporting note: testimony identifies Gina Clifero and Abby Willard as staff of the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets and Betsy Rosenluth as representing Shelburne Farms/Vermont Feed.)