RUTLAND— Lieutenant Governor David Zuckerman visited Rutland’s Vermont Farmers Food Center (VFFC) on Sunday, May 21. Greg Cox, president of the VFFC board of directors, hosted the site visit and discussion along with board members Ryan Yoder, vice president; Jody Condon, treasurer; Kathleen Krevetski, secretary; and Joshua MacDuff.
“I thoroughly enjoyed my site tour of the Vermont Farmers Food Center in Rutland. Farmer and Board President Greg Cox and his team are on the cutting edge of developing market opportunities for local farmers. Their facility is an outstanding example of an incubator for many innovative farm value-added projects. As a farmer, I can really appreciate how the Vermont Farmers Food Center is bringing local farmers together to find successful ventures to save and expand small Vermont farms and create new job opportunities,” said Lt. Governor Zuckerman.
Greg Cox thanked the governor for his interest in current and future potential for increasing agriculture-based economic development at VFFC in the heart of downtown Rutland.
“VFFC’s an excellent example of how lost industrial jobs can be backfilled by agriculture. The repurposing of Lincoln Iron Works, a former industrial giant, into an agricultural center combining the infrastructure and efficiencies necessary to grow food sector jobs, illustrates
how an entrepreneurial non profit organization can, not only aide in education and food access, but strengthen the local food economy,” said Greg Cox.
The Lt. Governor’s visit, follows site visits by U.S. Representative Peter Welch; Governor Phil Scott, joined by Rutland Mayor David Allaire, as well as Rutland County Senate and House members; and the Senate Committee on Economic Development, Housing, and General Affairs with the Senate Committee on Agriculture.
VFFC began as a grassroots, volunteer-led project and is spearheading the rebuilding of infrastructure necessary for agriculture to serve as a regional economic engine through the development of 2.93 acres of industrially zoned land with four existing buildings in downtown Rutland.
