The number of food systems plans being developed across the United States and Canada are growing. These plans have been undertaken by states, regions, counties and municipalities and share a common focus on advancing the capacity of the food system. This paper provides an overview of how one rural, three-county region, the Northeast Kingdom (NEK) of Vermont, has undertaken a regional food system planning and assessment process. The project is led by a regional planning commission and economic development corporation, Northeastern Vermont Development Association (NVDA). Working with the region’s leading local food hub organization, the Center for an Agricultural Economy (CAE), the year-long planning process has led to the creation of a strategic plan that includes asset maps; goals, targets, and measures; a governance network analysis for support-system actors; recommended strategies and action items; and a proposed implementation framework. We compare the NEK planning process to other previous efforts and draw some conclusions about rural regional food systems planning more generally.