Strolling of the Heifers is an annual

local food Local food is food that is produced within a short distance of where it is consumed, often accompanied by a social structure and supply chain different from the large-scale supermarket system. Local food (or "locavore") movements aim to con ...

parade and festival hosted in

Brattleboro, Vermont Brattleboro (), originally Brattleborough, is a town in Windham County, Vermont, United States. The most populous municipality abutting Vermont's eastern border with New Hampshire, which is the Connecticut River, Brattleboro is located about ...

each year. The organization behind the parade has expanded to support other local food initiatives, most notably a Locavore Index, which evaluates the availability and policy support for local food in American states.

Festival

The celebration was founded in 2002 by Orly Munzing, with a focus on

sustainable agriculture Sustainable agriculture is farming in sustainable ways meeting society's present food and textile needs, without compromising the ability for current or future generations to meet their needs. It can be based on an understanding of ecosystem ser ...

in the region. The parade was inspired by the

Running of the Bulls A running of the bulls ( es, encierro, from the verb ''encerrar'', 'to corral, to enclose'; oc, abrivado, literally 'haste, momentum'; ca, correbous, 'run-bulls') is an event that involves running in front of a small group of bulls, typicall ...

, but instead of enraged bulls, groomed heifers are walked down the main street. Senator Bernie Sanders attends the parade nearly every year, and has been credited with inspiring the parade by founder Orly Munzing.

Other programs

Strolling of the Heifers has expanded from just running a parade, to also include small business development programs and local food advocacy programs. For example, they ran a culinary skills program for training the local workforce. The organization also publishes its annual Locavore Index, which rates the capacity of different states for providing

. The Strolling of the Heifers owns The River Garden, a building in downtown Brattleboro.

References

{{Vermont-stub 2002 establishments in Vermont Brattleboro, Vermont Sustainable agriculture Bernie Sanders Festivals in Vermont