We are at a point at which we need to make some strategic decisions, and we need you to share your voice with lawmakers, about how to move forward with H.706 and a just transition away from neonicotinoid pesticides with the time we have left this biennium.  

There were several changes made to the bill in the Committee on Senate Agriculture that Rural VT and the greater coalition of organizations working on this bill (the Protect our Pollinators Coalition) oppose, however; there is little time in the legislative session remaining, and the coalition understands we need to move forward strategically in order to assure the bill’s passage while improving it to the degree we can.  We are now focused on amendments that can successfully be brought to the Senate floor vote later this week - and once the bill passes the Senate Floor vote, we will assess how to move forward in the House Committee on Agriculture and/or Committee of Conference.  

Here are the changes made to H.706 in the Senate Committee on Agriculture: 

• The transition date for treated seeds was moved to 2031 from 2029.  The bill originally had the date for treated seeds in 2027, but it was moved to 2029 in the House to align with New York’s transition.  We feel that moving this date back to 2029 is low-hanging fruit and is a reasonable amendment to bring to the Senate floor.

• The treated seeds prohibition will be tied to NY’s law after 2031.  This means, that if NY were to change its implementation date beyond 2031, VT’s date would change accordingly. Likewise, if NY repealed its requirement, VT’s would be repealed as well. The repeal of the NY law is not expected; the final bill passed with a diversity of support.

• Neonic use on turf - such as commercial turf production and golf courses - will be exempt from the law.  Though this use of neonics is relatively small in the context of the overall use in VT, we feel it is unnecessary and problematic to exempt recreational use in the context of requiring food producers to transition.  

• The exemption process is changed to mirror NY’s, which is a form of the “verification of need” program (variations of which are used in other jurisdictions, like Quebec).  There are advantages and disadvantages to this model, and to the process as written in the original bill.  The original bill allowed for geographical exemptions determined by the Agency of Agriculture, in consultation with the Sec. of the Agency of Natural Resources, based on a market analysis (are there sufficient supplies of non-neonic treated seeds, varietals, etc. available to farmers; is there undue financial hardship on producers to access them) and based on an assessment of the environmental impact of the use in the exempted area.  The “verification of need” process is a farm by farm-based approach, which requires farmers to implement a to-be-determined IPM protocol to determine if there is sufficient pest pressure to apply for an exemption due to the risk of an “agricultural or environmental emergency”.  A farm by farm-based approach is positive in the sense that it doesn’t allow for larger geographies to be exempted, it directly involves the farmers and land and crops in question, and it doesn’t rely on seed company narratives about what they can or cannot provide; however, it may leave farmers more vulnerable to potential market dynamics, and it leaves a lot of room for the metrics of an “agricultural or environmental emergency” to be determined by the Agency of Agriculture in a way which effectively undermines the effectiveness of the law.  

How do I CONTACT my representatives?

Find the contact information for your Senators here.

The contact information for the House Committee on Agriculture, Forestry, and Food Resiliency is here:

• Rep. David Durfee, Chair - ddurfee@leg.state.vt.us

• Rep. Heather Surprenant, Vice Chair - hsurprenant@leg.state.vt.us

• Rep. Rodney Graham, Ranking Member - rgraham@leg.state.vt.us

• Rep. Esme Cole - ecole@leg.state.vt.us

• Rep. Josie Leavitt - jleavitt@leg.state.vt.us

• Rep. Jed Lipsky - jlipsky@leg.state.vt.us

• Rep. Henry Pearl, Clerk - hpearl@leg.state.vt.us

• Rep. John O'Brien - jobrien@leg.state.vt.us

• Rep. Beth Quimby - bquimby@leg.state.vt.us

• Rep. Mike Rice - mrice@leg.state.vt.us

• Rep. David Templeman - dtempleman@leg.state.vt.us

How can you act?

Contact your Senator and members of the House Committee on Agriculture, Forestry and Food Resiliency to share your concerns and proposals for how to move forward; whether that be working to improve the bill on the Senate Floor, voting to pass the bill as is in order to provide the House Committee on Agriculture more time, etc..  For Rural VT, one of the primary amendments we feel is reasonable and likely to be successful on the Senate Floor is returning the implementation date for treated seeds to 2029 from 2031.  This follows the logic of the bill being so aligned with the NY bill, and is an action of solidarity with NY farmers who will benefit from VT being aligned in terms of a larger regional market and demand for non-neonic treated seed.   

Sample message

Dear  Senator / Representative/s _____________,

My name is ____________, I live in _[town]_.  [If you are a farmer or farm worker, you can identify that here].  I am writing to communicate my support for a just transition away from neonicotinoid pesticides, and to urge you to support amendments on the Senate floor to H.706 which bring the bill into greater alignment with the version passed by the House.  This is an important bill for the health and equity of our farming community and food systems, as well as for pollinators and the greater environment. 

Particular changes made in the Senate Committee on Agriculture are concerning and compromise the effectiveness of this legislation.  It’s important to work to restore the bill to its House-passed form while not compromising its passage.  Important changes that I’d like to see made on the Senate floor, and/or once the bill returns to the House, include:

• Restoring the implementation date to 2029 in alignment with NY state

• [include your other preferred changes here]

This bill is important to me because…. [add your own story and points here; eg:  This bill acknowledges and faces the significant negative environmental and biological impacts that neonics are having, their resilience and mobility in the environment, the need to provide time and support for those using the pesticide in transitioning, and the need to protect the vast majority of VT’s farmers and community members who are choosing not to use the pesticide from exposure and impact (these people are currently being non-consensually exposed given what we know about the spread of neonics in the environment away from the immediate location of use, and their far-reaching and systemic impacts)]

Work to limit the use of and exposure to neonics in VT has been ongoing for a number of years.  There is precedent for neonic phase-out and transition - very similar to this legislation - in the European Union, in Ontario, in Quebec, and now New York has passed legislation that will phase out treated seed and other uses by 2029.  Data and farmer testimony from those regions that have transitioned have shown little to no impact on crop yields or farm economics.  

Please support reasonable and important amendments to H.706 bringing it more in line with the House-passed version, and work to assure its passage on the Senate Floor.  Thank you for your attention and work.

Respectfully,

_____________

The Miscellaneous Cannabis Bill (H.612) contains changes to existing law which could have a substantial negative impact on outdoor cultivators; and does not contain recommended substantive changes supporting an equitable adult-use marketplace, medical patients and caregivers, and reparative social equity investments which Rural VT and the VT Cannabis Equity Coalition have been advocating for for years.  

The VT Cannabis Equity Coalition is a coalition of 5 member-based not-for-profit organizations (Rural VT, NOFA VT, VT Racial Justice Alliance, the VT Growers Association, the Green Mtn +Patients’ Alliance) collectively representing thousands of constituents of VT lawmakers, individuals in the legacy and regulated cannabis community, farmers, farm workers, medical patients, caregivers, and more. We have struggled to be heard in committee this session or have our recommendations acted on - our voices dimmed by the loudest, largest, and most capital-intensive licensees dominating the conversations and what ends up in proposed amendments to H.612.  We need your support and help to amplify our voices!

How Can I support?
*sample message included*

Reach out now to your Senators and the Senate Committee on Economic Development, Housing, and General Affairs:

Emails: kramhinsdale@leg.state.vt.us,  AClarkson@leg.state.vt.us, acummings@leg.state.vt.us, rbrock@leg.state.vt.us, wharrison@leg.state.vt.us

• Request that the VT Cannabis Equity Coalition and community stakeholders be provided adequate time in committee to speak to H.612 and the recommendations we have submitted as public comment

• Share your support for our recommendations; focus on what you find most important, share your story about why these changes are important.

• Voice your opposition to sections 16 and 17 of H.612.  These sections propose restricting the siting of outdoor cultivation by local municipalities by enabling them to create "preferred districts" for outdoor cultivation. The legislation then establishes maximum and minimum setback requirements and limitations based on whether or not the cultivation occurs within the "preferred" district. The setback is a maximum of 100 ft if outside the district, 25 ft if within the district, and 10 ft minimum if there is no zoning.

Reach out to your Senators and the Senate Committee on Agriculture:

Emails:  rstarr@leg.state.vt.us, bcollamore@leg.state.vt.us, rawestman@gmail.com, bcampion@leg.state.vt.us, iwrenner@leg.state.vt.us

• Thank them for making time to hear from the VT Cannabis Equity Coalition and community stakeholders.

• Share your support for our recommendations - in particular the improvements to agricultural status, Section 12 - and ask that they recommend these changes to the Sen. Committee on Economic Development, Housing, and General Affairs to be included in H.612

• Voice your oppositions to sections 16 and 17 of H.612.  These sections propose restricting the siting of outdoor cultivation by local municipalities by enabling them to create "preferred districts" for outdoor cultivation. The legislation then establishes maximum and minimum setback requirements and limitations based on whether or not the cultivation occurs within the "preferred" district. The setback is a maximum of 100 ft if outside the district, 25 ft if within the district, and 10 ft minimum if there is no zoning..

  
  SAMPLE MESSAGE

Dear Senator / s ________ (your Senator’s name here) and Members of the Committee on Economic Development, Housing, and General Affairs,

My name is ____________, I live in _[town]_.  [If you are a licensed entity in VT’s cannabis economy, or have another positionality you’d like to communicate, you are welcome to include that here as well].  I am writing to you supporting the inclusion of the recommendations of Rural VT and the VT Cannabis Equity Coalition in H.612.  This diverse coalition of member-based not for profit groups speaks to the very real needs and experiences of the cannabis community and many of the different constituencies involved and affected by cannabis law over time (from racial equity, to agriculture, to medical).  

I would like to specifically draw your attention to… [include what you’d like to emphasize here: striking sections 16 and 17, improving agricultural status, implementing social equity in x,y,z ways, etc.].  

This is important to me because…

Thank you for your time and work.

Sincerely,

[Your name]

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What’s at Stake?  What do lawmakers need to know?

• Rejecting Sections 16 and 17 (additional municipal oversight and setbacks for outdoor cultivators):  This language was developed without any research about potential impacts on, or input from, the community of cultivators it would directly affect. It is regressive in the sense that it directly opposes original legislative language protecting the smallest scale of outdoor cultivation from municipal oversight, and legislative changes made last year (based on our advocacy) which were made as a result of testimony provided by multiple producers and organizations supporting them related to extreme barriers and prejudice they were facing as a result of municipal oversight.  It directly opposes the intention and trend of treating the outdoor cultivation of cannabis in the same manner as agriculture. This language emerges as a result of one situation brought into the legislature related to a conflict between a single outdoor cultivator, his neighbors, and the municipality in which he resides. If this language goes into effect, the over 200 actively licensed outdoor and mixed-use cultivators in Vermont will be introduced to significant risk and uncertainty which could affect the viability of their businesses, and aspects of the entire marketplace.  The siting of cannabis cultivation in densely populated areas of Vermont and the role of municipal oversight is an important conversation to have, but there must be a reasonable process which directly and broadly engages stakeholders directly impacted, and which thoroughly assesses the impacts of any proposed restrictions or additional regulation before enacting them into law. Dramatically changing existing law demands adequate engagement with communities and understanding of impacts – and that has not occurred with this proposed policy change.

• Agricultural Status: multiple licensed outdoor and mixed use cultivators have provided testimony this session in the House and in the Senate Committee on Agriculture recommending discreet changes in law which would resolve barriers they face because they are not legally “agricultural” businesses; but we have seen none of them included in H.612 to this point.  These recommendations are in Section 12 of our recommendations.  

• Social Equity:  Our proposals for social equity are embedded in our recommendations for Section 15 of H.612.  As a compromise, and in recognition for the time being of the political difficulty of our greater goals, we propose the following for now:

• Legislatively mandating the creation of a Cannabis Social Equity Working group required to report back to the legislature by January 1, 2024. The report will provide recommendations related to the amount of money that is appropriate to commit on a yearly basis from the VT Cannabis Excise Tax towards marginalized and socially disadvantaged community investment, its administration, and more. Seats on the Working Group will be filled by representatives from organizations including, but not limited to: the VT Racial Justice Alliance, the Green Mountain Patients’ Alliance, the Cannabis Control Board, the Land Access and Opportunity Board, the Office of Racial Equity, the Racial Disparities in the Criminal and Juvenile Justice System Advisory Panel, the Health Equity Advisory Commission, and the Agency of Commerce and Community Development.  

• Making permanent the currently one-time appropriation of $500,000 to the Cannabis Development Fund, and shifting its administration to the CCB as described above.

• Other improvements:  We have included language and concepts in our recommendations this year which we have now been advocating for for years:  from foundational investments in Social Equity and Community Reinvestment, to direct markets for small cultivators and manufacturers, to patient and caregiver centered medical reforms, to public consumption and further expungement.  We now have a adult-use and medical program in which there is no ongoing investment from the Cannabis Excise Tax in social equity and repair (unlike most other states, given the racialized criminalization of cannabis and its enforcement), in which the very cultivators of the plants and manufacturers of the products are not able to directly sell their products to the public and must go through middlemen (concentrating market power in the hands of retailer licensees), and in which the consumption laws essentially only allow legal consumption for people who own their own land and / or homes.  It is past time to make changes like these and to create a truly equitable cannabis economy in VT.

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Farmers and Farmworkers: Do You Support A Just Transition Away from the use of Neonicotinoid Pesticides? 

Sign on to this letter and petition in support of H.706 to help demonstrate the VT farming community’s support for this legislation.

Rural VT and a number of other organizations and individuals within and without the Protect our Pollinators Coalition (petition for all folks on this website) are working to pass H.706; a bill to support the just transition away from the use of neonicotinoid pesticides in VT.  H.706 was resoundingly passed out of the House and now is in the Senate Committee on Agriculture.  The Coalition has drafted this Farmer Letter of Support as one way for us to further show how important this bill is to the greater agricultural community.

H.706 prohibits the sale or use of neonic coatings on corn, soybean, wheat and cereal seeds by 2029; prohibits outdoor uses that risk significant harm to pollinators by 2025 (flowering crops, ornamental plants, turf grass); and requires BMPs (best management practices) for permitted uses of neonics.  

This is not a bill about pitting farmers against farmers, or putting farms out of business, or transitioning land away from “conventional” dairy farming in VT.  It is not a referendum on row cropping corn in VT.  These narratives are not helpful or accurate.  This bill is discreet and targeted, it is about a single class of pesticides.  It is about meeting the realities of the data on the impacts and efficacy of neonics, and supporting a just transition for those using them and those affected by them.  

Work to limit the use of and exposure to neonics in VT has been ongoing for a number of years in VT and abroad.  There is precedent for neonic phase out and transition - very similar to this legislation - in the European Union, in Ontario, in Quebec, and now New York has passed legislation that will phase out treated seed and other uses by 2029.  Data and farmer testimony from those regions which have transitioned has shown little to no impact on crop yields or farm economics.  

At least 3 of VT’s larger member based farming organizations have come out in support of this bill:  Rural VT (see our testimony here, read it here), NOFA VT, and the Champlain Valley Farmers Coalition. The New York Farm Bureau supported the final version of the NY bill, which this bill is now very similar to.  This shows the broad agricultural support across farm types and sizes and regions despite testimony from some farms and farmers opposing the bill.

Please sign on and share your voice, as a voice in the farming community, in support of this legislation and a just transition away from neonicotinoids in Vermont.

For more information, questions, or comments reach out to graham@ruralvermont.org

H.81 would benefit the local economy and local communities related to agricultural equipment and would make sure that, fundamentally, owners and operators have the autonomy and ability to repair equipment themselves and / or determine who they would like to repair it. Currently, farmers and loggers must rely on dealerships and non-legally binding agreements (MOUs) for repairs on modern equipment. Forcing farmers and loggers to rely on dealerships to make repairs leads to inflated service prices, delays in repairs of days to months, and the loss at the community level of basic skills and the allowance to practice them in repairing equipment. Such delays can and do put a farmer’s or logger’s livelihood at risk and these circumstances make buying newer equipment less attractive than buying old equipment that’s easier to repair. Passing this bill would support farmers and the local agricultural industry as more farmers would even consider buying newer equipment they can’t repair themselves, if it's ensured and clear that they can work with their skilled employees or independent repair shops. This could also vitalize the used equipment market and alleviate original manufacturers from being overburdened with service requests when they are needed the most.  H.81 provides the choice for farmers and loggers to repair their own equipment or go to an independent repair shop while maintaining the option to go to a local dealer. 

The State of Vermont already considered multiple versions of this bill in prior sessions and afforded a task force on this issue.  Rural Vermont supports passing this legislation NOW and board member Em Virzi shared examples of how the Right-to Repair affects farmers first hand with the committee during Small Farm Action Day on March 14 (watch the recording here).  H.81 passed out of the House last year with an astonishing favorable vote of 137-2, but it’s at risk of not advancing this session if the Senate Agriculture Committee does not support the bill. 

Please reach out to the Senate Agriculture Chair, Sen. Robert Starr, and the members of Senate Agriculture as soon as possible to support H.81! 

If you can, please do share any specific experiences about not having access to information or diagnostic tools outside of a dealership that prevented you from making their own repair. Any details about what machine or information would have allowed you or a 3rd party mechanic to make that repair outside of a dealership would be helpful as well.

Senate Agriculture Committee Contact Information

Sen. Robert Starr, Chair: rstarr@leg.state.vt.us

Sen. Brian Collamore, Vice Chair: bcollamore@leg.state.vt.us

Sen. Richard Westman: rawestman@gmail.com

Sen. Brian Campion: bcampion@leg.state.vt.us

Sen. Irene Wrenner, Clerk: iwrenner@leg.state.vt.us

Let’s ensure Vermont’s farmers and loggers have the option to repair their equipment however they choose. Thank you for your support!

Summary of H.81 As Passed by the House

The House-passed version of H.81 (House vote 137-2) ensures original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) offer for sale or otherwise make available parts, tools, and documentation to independent repair providers or owners that OEMs also make available or for sale to authorized repair providers, and may make parts, tools, and documentation available to an independent repair provider or owner through an authorized repair provider that consents to sell or make available parts, tools, or documentation on behalf of the manufacturer. OEMs must also provide information that’s necessary to unlock or disable a function and to reset a lock or function after the repair is complete.

OEMs may also not impose an additional cost or burden that isn’t reasonably necessary on the independent provider or owner, and must offer for sale or provide tools, parts, and documentation at a cost that is fair to both parties and does not discourage repairs by an owner or independent provider.

H.81 does not require an OEM to divulge in trade secrets to an owner or independent service provider and does not allow modification of equipment to deactivate a safety notification system or access a function or tool that would take a piece of equipment out of compliance with federal, State, or local safety or emissions law, except as necessary to provide a repair.

We anticipate H.706 reaching the House floor this week. Despite this bill moving favorably thus far through committees - there are indications it may face more resistance on the floor. It is critical that community members, in particular farmers and farm workers, contact their representatives in the House, urge them to support this bill, and explain why it is important to you that they vote in favor of a just transition away from the widespread use of neonicotinoid pesticides. Below you'll find a sample message, link to your Reps' contact info, and some more details about the bill and helpful info to share with your Reps.

TAKE ACTION NOW!

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SAMPLE MESSAGE:
copy, paste, customize!

Dear Representative/s ________________,

My name is ____________, I live in _[town]_.  [If you are a farmer or farm worker, you can identify that here].  I am writing to urge you to vote in favor of H.706 when it reaches the House Floor.  This is an important bill for the health and equity of our farming community and food systems, as well as for pollinators and the greater environment. 

H.706 prohibits the sale or use of neonic coatings on corn, soybean, wheat and cereal seeds by 2029; prohibits outdoor uses that risk significant harm to pollinators by 2025 (flowering crops, ornamental plants, turf grass); and requires BMPs (best management practices) for permitted uses of neonics.  This bill acknowledges and faces the significant negative environmental and biological impacts that neonics are having, their resilience and mobility in the environment, the need to provide time and support for those using the pesticide in transitioning, and the need to protect the vast majority of VT’s farmers and community members who are choosing not to use the pesticide from exposure and impact (these people are currently being non-consensually exposed given what we know about the spread of neonics in the environment away from the immediate location of use, and their far reaching and systemic impacts).  

This bill is important to me because…. [add your own story and points here]

Work to limit the use of and exposure to neonics in VT has been ongoing for a number of years.  There is precedent for neonic phase out and transition - very similar to this legislation - in the European Union, in Ontario, in Quebec, and now New York has passed legislation that will phase out treated seed and other uses by 2029.  Data and farmer testimony from those regions which have transitioned  has shown little to no impact on crop yields or farm economics.  

At least 3 of VT’s larger member based farming organizations have come out in support of this bill:  Rural VT, NOFA VT, and the Champlain Valley Farmers Coalition. The New York Farm Bureau supported the final version of the NY bill, which this bill is now very similar to.  This shows the broad agricultural support across farm types and sizes and regions despite testimony from some farms and farmers opposing the bill.

Please vote in favor of H.706 - and thank you for work.

Respectfully,

_____________

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What to Know about H.706 &
Helpful Info to Share with your Reps

• H.706 prohibits the sale or use of neonic coatings on corn, soybean, wheat and cereal seeds by 2029; prohibits outdoor uses that risk significant harm to pollinators by 2025 (flowering crops, ornamental plants, turf grass); and requires BMPs (best management practices) for permitted uses of neonics.

• Work to limit the use of and exposure to neonics in VT has been ongoing for a number of years.  There is precedent for neonic phase out and transition - very similar to this legislation - in the European Union, in Ontario, in Quebec, and now New York has passed legislation that will phase out treated seed and other uses by 2029. Data and farmer testimony from those regions which have transitioned  has shown little to no impact on crop yields or farm economics.  

• At least 3 of VT’s larger member based farming organizations have come out in support of this bill: Rural VT, NOFA VT, and the Champlain Valley Farmers Coalition. The New York Farm Bureau supported the final version of the NY bill, which this bill is now very similar to. This shows the broad agricultural support across farm types and sizes and regions despite testimony from some farms and farmers opposing the bill.

• This bill acknowledges and faces the significant negative environmental and biological impacts that neonics are having, their resilience and mobility in the environment, the need to provide time and support for those using the pesticide in transitioning, and the need to protect the vast majority of VT’s farmers and community members who are choosing not to use the pesticide from exposure and impact (these people are currently being non-consensually exposed given what we know about the spread of neonics in the environment away from the immediate location of use, and their far reaching and systemic impacts).  

• Testimony has shown that companies took away farmers’ choice related to neonic seed treatment years ago. The challenge related to alternative seed and treatment sourcing for farmers currently using neonics is not related to availability of seed varieties - it’s related to the willingness of the purveyors of the seed to return their former policy allowing choice for farmers, and to not universally treat all conventional seed with neonics. It is unacceptable that seed companies’ commitment to proprietary products and profit would threaten our State’s, and our farmers’, ability to practice democracy related to how we farm and what we - and the places we inhabit - are exposed to.  

• We have the data. We need to focus on the real and potential needs of farmers and others in this transition; but we must begin the transition with this bill now.

THANK YOU!

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P.S. Do you want to learn more about, or provide input on, H.706 or Rural Vermont's other work in the State House and beyond? Join our next virtual Quarterly Member Forum on Thursday, April 11th from 6 - 7:30pm. All members welcome-  please let us know you're coming!

The Vermont Conservation Strategy Initiative (VCSI) is underway - and it is important that we use our voice to influence it! Act 59 was passed in 2023 with a goal to conserve 30% of Vermont’s total area by 2030 and 50% by 2050.

As Vermont is developing a new conservation plan - its policies and regulations more broadly - must protect and support food sovereignty, and the rights of people and communities articulated in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas:
“Peasants and other people living in rural areas have the right to land, individually and/or collectively (...), including the right to have access to, sustainably use and manage land and the water bodies, coastal seas, fisheries, pastures, and forests therein, to achieve an adequate standard of living, to have a place to live in security, peace and dignity and to develop their cultures.” - Article 17 UNDROP (United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas, 2018)

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Join Rural Vermont in urging the Agricultural Working Group before Wednesday 3/13 at 11am (their last meeting during the inventory phase) to:

• Affirm the consensus of the PES and Soil Health Working Group against new programs based on measuring outcomes in agriculture.

  • The PES and Soil Health Working Group met from 2019-2023 to address questions from the VT legislature related to: ag standards and practices for better environmental outcomes, existing and potential incentives, and proposed changes and programs. Ultimately, the group opposed proposals grounded in measured outcome based models that could lead to the development of carbon and offsets markets in VT agriculture, and favored the CSP+ approach recommended by the Small Farm Cohort, which involves enhancing support for sustainable farming practices through increasing access to, and improving, existing federal programs for Vermont farmers.

• Protect 30x30 and land conservation efforts from being financed by carbon and / or other “off-set” markets.

• Rural VT has long been in solidarity with the National Family Farm Coalition, La Via Campesina, the Indigenous Environmental Network, the Institute for Ag and Trade Policy, Friends of the Earth and others in opposing carbon and other “off-set” markets.  Globally, the goal to conserve 30% of land and sea by 2030, and 50% by 2050 have been paired with the “net zero” ideology and offset markets, resulting in land grabs, and displacement of communities from working lands and waters (see recent New York Times article from Feb 20th, 2024). There is significant data around carbon markets’ ineffectiveness at actually lowering emissions, their impacts on corporate land ownership and displacement of communities, and more broadly as false solutions to the climate crisis.

• Recommend policies that ensure conserved land is protected from corporate and consolidated ownership and which facilitate farmland access and ownership for farmers and farmworkers; maintaining community sovereignty over land use over time.

• In VT, and around the world, we are seeing large “conservation” organizations, corporations, and governments working together towards conserving land and waters with a vision of conservation which: is largely absent of human presence; in which conserved land and agricultural land are seen as forms of wealth management, investment and a class of “natural asset”; which does not protect local communities’ democratic control of land and resources; which displaces indigenous peoples and farmers and fisherfolk; which does not take into account critical human needs such as food sovereignty and resiliency; and which positions and defers to markets and corporate actors as principle arbiters of access, control, equity, and the future of these places (check out our glossary of terms here and list of resources here). In our efforts to protect the integrity of our ecosystems and habitat, and to ensure we have farmland enough to feed the people living here - we must also protect our communities’ democratic control over, and access to, the land as one of our most critical resources.

• Protect all farmland in VT from development in perpetuity, with flexibility for development of housing and essential infrastructure, and enable and support the conversion of land (including conserved land) into agriculture, and into the hands and control of the people working the land. 

• According to Hunger Free VT, two out of every five people in VT are food insecure. We rely upon importation for the vast majority of our food across the northeast, and New England Feeding New England reports that we need to bring back into production 400,000 acres of land in underutilized production and an additional 590,000 of additional acres of new crop land to even meet 30% of our regional food needs by 2030. The American Farmland Trust (AFT) estimates that VT could lose another 41,000 acres by 2040 if current trends continue - or more if trends worsen. AFT also pointed to the imminent turnover of 40% of farmland within the next couple of decades as farm owners / operators age and move on from farming. Agricultural support programs have been underfunded 50% from what the administration requested in 2023. We need more independent farms, more farmers, more farmworkers, more farmland, more agroecological education and training to even meet 30% of our regional needs; and these considerations must be fundamental to the VCSI. The inventory report should outline land currently in agriculture, land in agriculture currently conserved, what land is potentially best positioned to be converted into farmland moving forward, and how much we will need to assure food security and sovereignty over time. Policies beyond conservation easements must be considered in the upcoming two year conservation planning phase. 

• Invite the meaningful inclusion of VT’s indigenous community in the 30 x 30 process.

• The enabling statute finds that “the land and waters, forests and farms, and ecosystems and natural communities in Vermont are the traditional and unceded home of the Abenaki people”, meaning that any effort to increase land conservation must include land access opportunities for Indigenous People and to all who come from historically marginalized and disadvantaged communities.  President Biden’s executive order of 2021 on 30x30 explicitly honors Tribal Sovereignty and supports the priorities of Tribal Nations. Currently, neither of the State recognized Abenaki tribes are represented in any of the work groups that are part of the Vermont Conservation Strategy Initiative. We believe that the Indigenous people of Vermont have important knowledge to share about land care strategies and that their ideas for land use and conservation should be decisive for the Vermont Conservation Plan that’s projected for the end of 2025.

• Recognize that the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets is the authority regulating VT agriculture.

• Act 59 calls for enhanced support for the working lands through land conservation. It is positive that the state wants to better support the working lands and diversified farming in alignment with soil health principles. The 30x30 initiative and conservation easements specifically are not an appropriate place for regulating agricultural practices. Improving the Required Agricultural Practices Rule is the appropriate path to addressing these concerns equitably amongst producers. The definition of sustainable land management as defined in Act 59 opens the door for linking measured outcomes of biodiversity with off-set trading schemes as a financing strategy because it can be interpreted as only including those parcels of agricultural land that enhance biodiversity at a measurable rate. Alternatively, ”sustainable land management” can be interpreted to include all agricultural lands with good reason. Grasslands are specifically named - that’s ¾ of all conserved agricultural lands - and the UVM State of Soil Health in Vermont initiative provides evidence that soil health across all types of farming in Vermont is presently preserving those soils’ ability to support and restore biodiversity in the future. Even in those cases where current agricultural practices have the potential to negatively impact biodiversity, they are free from development and practices can be improved. All agricultural lands are important and all farms manage highly threatened natural resources that are crucial to Vermont’s future food security and climate resilience.

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TAKE ACTION!

Step 1: Visit https://www.ruralvermont.org/30x30 for more information about 30x30,  a list of references, and a glossary of terms.

Step 2: Email all members of the Ag Working Group of the VCSI before Wednesday 3/13 at 11am (their last meeting during the inventory phase) and express your support for any or all of our recommendations to be included in the inventory report on behalf of the agricultural community in Vermont. Email addresses for Ag Working Group members can be found below, along with a sample message that can be personalized.

Step 3: Join the (30x30) VT Conservation Strategy Initiative Focus Group for "smallholder farmers" taking place on Tuesday March 12 from 2 - 3:30 PM by Zoom. You need to register to get the zoom link. Registration is HERE!  The session will be recorded by the hosts. There is a stipend being offered for attendees that you can sign up for upon registration.

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SAMPLE MESSAGE - COPY, EDIT, & PASTE INTO THE BODY OF YOUR EMAIL!

I want the Agricultural Working Group of the VCSI to adopt a statement against financing the conservation of land in VT, and / or coordinating the VCSI process, with carbon credits and / or through offset markets. Instead, I want to see the meaningful inclusion of indigenous and agrarian peoples, and the development of policies that protect community sovereignty over land, that grow our agricultural land base, and that protect farmland for farmers by facilitating affordable farmland and housing for farmers and farmworkers.

In doing so, the Ag Working Group saves significant public dollars by avoiding any duplicacy to the processes of the Payment for Ecosystem Services & Soil Health Working Group by aligning with the consensus reached during that process for the State of Vermont to not further invest in financializing and "measuring outcomes of agricultural practices," “payment for ecosystem services,” “natural capital,” the “financialization of nature” and the “privatization of the commons.” 

Around the globe, developments in conservation planning paired with PES/ carbon market financing schemes represent an alignment of the interests of corporate investors with development agencies, conservation organizations, research institutions, national economies, and consumers, around the potential to profit from the creation of new asset classes in ecosystem function. These are not solutions to climate change nor the biodiversity crisis. These solutions do not offer equitable solutions to indigenous communities, farmers and farm workers and neither do they maintain community sovereignty over land, land use, and critical natural resources. 

For the purposes of protecting agricultural land and the autonomy and independence of our communities and farmers, the Ag Working Group can recommend reforms to the tools available in land use planning to approach a vision and goal of advancing support for the working lands and biodiversity through land conservation so that all agricultural land can count in acres towards the 30x30 & 50x50 goals in a way that aligns with the needs of our region related to human rights, food security and democratic control of our essential resources.

Stacy Cibula, facilitation VHCB  s.cibula@vhcb.org

Ryan Patch, co-facilitation VAAFM Ryan.Patch@vermont.gov

Eric Clifford, Champlain Valley Farmers Coalition info@champlainvalleyfarmercoalition.com

Mike Snow, CT River Watershed Farmers Alliance crwfa.info@gmail.com

Scott Magnan, Franklin Grand Isle Farmers Watershed Alliance FarmersWatershedAllianceNW@gmail.com

Dave Blodgett, Natural Resources Conservation Service david.blodgett@usda.gov

Jen Miller, Nofa-VT jen@nofavt.org

Caroline Gordon, Rural Vermont caroline@ruralvermont.org

Rosalind Renfrew, ANR (Fish & Wildlife) rosalind.renfrew@vermont.gov 

Marli Rupi, ANR (DEC) marli.rupe@vermont.gov

Darlene Reynolds, VT Dairy Producer Alliance vdpa16@gmail.com 

Jackie Folsom, VT Farm Bureau vtfb@gmavt.net

Stephen Leslie, Cedar Mountain Farm representing Vermont Healthy Soils Coalition hartlandyoga@yahoo.com

Tyler Miller, Vermont Land Trust tyler@vlt.org

Jennifer Byrne, White River Conservation District whiterivernrcd@gmail.com 

Holly McClintock, VHCB staff h.mcclintock@vhcb.org 

Isaac Bissell, VHCB staff I.Bissell@vhcb.org 

Trey Martin, VHCB staff  t.martin@vhcb.org

As a member organization of the National Family Farmers Coalition (NFFC), Rural Vermont advocates for NFFC’s farm bill platform. One key priority is the Farmland for Farmers Act - an important piece of legislation that addresses corporate land grabs in the United States. Increasing land costs and consolidation trends are a massive barrier for family farmers, especially historically underserved, young, and beginning farmers. With more than 40% of all US farmland expected to transfer hands in the next few decades, the need to ensure that farmland stays in farmer-owned and community-based production has never been more urgent.

More information about the Farmland For Farmers Act here!

Take Action!

Contact Vermont's Members of Congress & tell them that we need better land access for farmers at affordable rates, not more corporate saviorism and land grabs of arable land. 

Email your delegation and ask for active support for the Farmland for Farmers Act!

Senator Welch's office farm bill staff here: Alexander_Lynn@welch.senate.gov 

Senator Sanders office farm bill staff here: Liam_Fagan@sanders.senate.gov 

Senator Balint’s office farm bill staff here: Kate.Gorud@mail.house.gov 

On Monday, October 16th, Rural Vermont released our collective statement regarding the Palestine/Israel conflict in our online newsletter which we now share here...

“The globe is viscerally horrified and saddened by the atrocities against civilians committed by armed fighters of Hamas in Israel - and in Palestine by the heightened state of Israel’s siege on, and bombing of, Gaza and the continued colonization of the occupied Palestinian Territories and its civilian population. Our hearts and tears are with those who’ve lost loved ones, with those who are living as hostages, to those living as refugees, and to those living under occupation, bombardment and siege with no safe place to go, no food, no water, no electricity, no medical resources.

Today, October 16, 2023, is the International Day of Action for People’s Food Sovereignty. One of the greatest threats to food sovereignty and collective wellbeing is warfare and human conflict. Today, we affirm our commitment to protecting human and territorial rights.

As stated in our 2021 Statement of Solidarity with Palestine, ‘Rural Vermont affirms the equal rights of all Palestinian people and Israeli Jews to self-determination, and to freedom from discrimination and human rights abuses… We explicitly stand with our Jewish, Palestinian, and Muslim brothers and sisters against antisemitism, against islamophobia, and against discrimination towards Palestinians in the pursuit for equality, safety, and dignity for all peoples. National self-determination cannot be a fundamental right awarded to some yet denied to others. It is wrong to dehumanize any peoples, and efforts involving the dehumanization and oppression of one peoples in pursuit of liberation for another bring us ever further from our collective liberation.’

We are at a critical moment in this conflict - we call on VT’s representatives, the United States government, and international actors to act now and prevent the escalation of ethnic cleansing and forced displacement of Palestinians in Gaza, and to apply and enforce standards of international humanitarian law equally between Palestinians and Israeli Jews throughout Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. The United States must not militarily or rhetorically continue to “unconditionally" support the actions of the state of Israel and share complicity in crimes of war and crimes against humanity exacted upon the approximately 2 million inhabitants of Gaza and Palestinian civilians across the occupied territories of Palestine. We ask those organizations who have not spoken out to use your voices to help end this conflict, and to support transforming the role of the United States into one calling for peace, human rights, and territorial sovereignty in the region for all peoples and nations.

Why is Rural VT speaking on this issue? As stated in our Mission, Rural VT is an organization which finds its home and community locally, and also in our relationships with organizations and communities around the world grounded in shared principles of equity, justice, and human rights. We believe that internationalism is a critical aspect of local movement building; and that local movement building and the voices of local stakeholders are critical to creating change by and for the people and planet. As an organization which works with federal representatives on policy, while being committed to grassroots education and movement building - we feel it is important to speak and advocate in this moment, and on this issue, in particular given the role of the United States in this conflict and region.”

After the Hamas assault on southern Israel which killed approximately 1300 people, approximately 7,500 civilian Palestinians and inhabitants of Gaza and the West Bank have now been killed by the state of Israel. More than 3,000 children in occupied Palestine have been killed, more than 130 children in southern Israel were killed. More than 50% of Gaza's civilian infrastructure has been destroyed. These are all crimes of war, but of entirely different proportionalities and from entirely different positionalities of power.

The world watches on in horror as the United States continues to "unconditionally support" Israel's assault, and militarily and diplomatically defend its crimes of war - as recognized by the Sec. General of the UN, and Amnesty International - and by the unwillingness of VT's delegation to support an immediate ceasefire and recognize these war crimes. President Biden, Rep. Balint, Sen. Welch, Sen. Sanders - your positions and US policy must change.

TAKE ACTION NOW!

Farmers, eaters, farmworkers, community members - urge our congressional representatives to advocate for an immediate ceasefire, an unconditional support for human rights and humanitarian law, an end TO the occupation of Palestine, and the foundation of a sovereign Palestinian state as the starting points - not the ending points - of a lasting and legitimate peace process.

Contacts

Sen. Sanders Office

D.C: 202-224-5141

Vermont: 802-862-0697

Rep. Balint's Office

D.C: 202- 225-4115

Vermont: 802-652-2450

Sen. Welch's Office

D.C: 202-224-4242

Vermont: 802-862-0697

Throughout September the Protect Our Soils Coalition is gathering signatures for the Vermonters Endorse the PFAS Relief for Farmers Act.

As Vermonters, we know that healthy soil and farms are essential to our communities, economies, and values. Sign-On in support of legislation that will help our farms that have been impacted by industrial pollution; unfortunately - just because we’re not testing for it doesn’t mean it’s not there - so that the list of farmers impacted by PFAS contamination is expected to grow, and the financial and health effects can be devastating. 

Please join us in supporting the Support for Farmers Hit with PFAS Act. Together, we can make our voices heard and let policy makers know that we demand expedient and effective action. Each farm is a unique community asset, and no farmer or grower should be left vulnerable due to lack of action and regulation.

Sign-On here!

In coalition with NFFC, FARFA, and FTCLDF, we’ve been meeting with Members of Congress for months to find champions who would introduce the bill. Unfortunately, neither the Vermont delegation nor other members of Congress is willing or able to spearhead a bill on On-Farm Slaughter and the personal exemption at the moment. This particular issue is brand new to many, even to those who are invested in advancing meat processing issues. 

So we are launching a revised campaign, focused on a broader issue that is more understandable to Members of Congress – protecting a state’s “equal to” status from arbitrary USDA actions. 

Protecting State Meat Inspection Programs from arbitrary USDA action has always been a campaign goal and was part of the original petition. Under the current law, if there is a disagreement over whether the state meets the federal standards, States bear the burden of proof in their own defense. The mere threat of USDA withdrawal of this designation – which can be based on informal policies or an individual official’s opinions – places State officials in the untenable position of having to either abandon state policy or risk losing approval of the state inspection program. 

In Vermont, after expansions of the On-Farm Slaughter Law, USDA issued an informal letter in 2022 which caused the state to issue more stringent requirements to avoid even the possibility of losing “equal to” status. 

The proposed bill would protect a State from arbitrary and capricious decisions by USDA officials that are not supported by the statutory or regulatory provisions, ensuring that USDA uses its authority in a transparent, responsible manner.

We ask organizations to sign-on to this letter by the end of September to support this effort. 

We ask individuals – farmers and meat processors – to keep calling their Members of Congress in support of this campaign. You can find more information about this initiative here and contact Congress here.

Sample message (Copy, Paste, Customize!): 

“Dear ________, I’m reaching out to urge you to protect States’ ability to adopt scale-appropriate provisions for meat processed and sold solely within their states.  If a State administration certifies that its program is at least “equal to” the federal program, then USDA should have the burden to show otherwise.  This would protect States from arbitrary and capricious decisions by USDA officials that are not supported by the statutory or regulatory provisions. This change is needed to protect the ability of states to build programs that work for their producers and consumers.  In particular, it would help states to support small-scale, local meat production and processing.”

Questions? Concerns? Thoughts? Please connect with Caroline Gordon: caroline@ruralvermont.org

The Cannabis Control Board (CCB) is in the process of revising their rules, including the consideration of cuts to Rule 2.2.4 regarding value-added cannabis products. Cannabis manufacturers need your support now - please express your concerns about banning cannabis value-added products and allow this industry to become successful! 

Please consider a two-pronged Call to Action!
Details and instructions below.

1. Submit a comment to the CCB.

2. Submit a comment to Governor Scott’s office.

   _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

On July 19, 2023, the CCB will vote on a proposed amendment to Rule 2.2.4 banning the sale of refrigerated and frozen cannabis products as well as any cannabis products containing meat and dairy. This proposed amendment will have significant, far-reaching negative and deeply impactful consequences for licensees, stakeholders, and ultimately, Vermonters, who will not benefit from the significant tax revenue potentially generated by this sector of the Vermont cannabis industry. 

The proposed changes read:

Cannabis establishments shall:

(f) not produce any product that contains any meat or meat products;

(g) not produce any dairy product as defined in 6 V.S.A.§ 2672;

(h) not produce any product that requires time and temperature control for safety

Citing limited capacity as the main reason for the CCB’s inability to enforce/monitor temperature sensitive products, we ask Governor Scott and his administration to encourage cooperation and collaboration between the CCB, Department of Health, and the Agency of Agriculture and to instruct these agencies to fulfill their responsibilities in conducting food safety inspections of cannabis products and enforcing regulatory compliance. It is clear that administrative shortcomings are forcing the CCB to revise this rule to adapt to limited agency capacity. Governor Scott recently allowed H.270 (now Act 65) to pass into law without his signature but with a critique of the CCBs authority: “As an independent entity, the CCB regulates a multi-million-dollar industry with no oversight. Again, while I have complete confidence in the current CCB, this lack of oversight creates the risk for future mismanagement, conflicts of interest and other harmful impacts.” The legislature intends with the new law to increase the competitiveness and marketability of value added products by increasing the milligrams of THC allowed in a single package to 100 milligrams; and by now allowing cannabis producers to take back for resale products which they contracted manufacturers to produce from their plants.

1. Provide Public Comment to the CCBs proposed rule changes (by Mon., July 17!).
   Ask the CCB to implement the legislative intent to increase the competitiveness and marketability of value-added cannabis products by voting against the relevant changes to Rule 2.2.4
   > Contact: the CCB through their Public Input Form HERE or through the linked blue button above
   > Subject: click Rule 2: Regulation of Cannabis Establishments
   > Sample Message (Copy, Paste, Customize!):

   “The legislature just verified their intent to increase the competitiveness and marketability of value-added cannabis products with passing Act 65 into law that increases the milligrams of THC allowed in such products as well as allowing cannabis producers to take back for resale products which they contracted manufacturers to produce from their plants. I’m asking the CCB to vote against those proposed changes to Rule 2.2.4 that would impede the development and marketability and thus competitiveness of value-added cannabis products manufactured in Vermont by banning those products that contain meat or dairy products or require temperature control for food safety. In the recent Board meeting on June 26, 2023, it was recognized by regulators that other state AU markets regulate and allow temperature-sensitive products and meat and dairy products and that Vermont should, too.I will also be asking the Governor to ensure the needed collaboration among agencies to secure a successful implementation of the standing cannabis law and legislative intent. Respectfully, ....”

2. Ask Governor Scott to hold his administration accountable to cultivate the inter-agency cooperation needed to successfully produce and market value-added cannabis products in Vermont!
> Contact: Governor Scott HERE or by clicking the linked blue button above or leave a voicemail by calling (802) 828-3333!
> Subject: Protect the competitiveness and marketability of value-added cannabis products and ensure inter-agency collaboration
> Sample Message (Copy, Paste, Customize!):

“Dear Governor Scott, The legislature just verified their intent to increase the competitiveness and marketability of value-added cannabis products with passing Act 65 into law that increases the milligrams of THC allowed in such products as well as allowing cannabis producers to take back for resale products which they contracted manufacturers to produce from their plants. You have expressed your concerns regarding the CCBs authority, naming a risk for mismanagement, conflicts of interest and other potentially harmful impacts when you allowed Act 65 to pass into law. I’m reaching out to you now because I’m deeply concerned about the CCBs proposed changes to Rule 2.2.4, which would impede the development and marketability and thus competitiveness of value-added cannabis products manufactured in Vermont by banning those products that contain meat or dairy products or require temperature control for food safety due to lack of interagency support from the Department of Health and the Vermont Agency of Agriculture.

The Vermont excise tax revenue collected on cannabis and cannabis products has recently surpassed the tax revenue collected on alcohol. Regulated cannabis is a significant share of the state economy. The agency tasked with regulating cannabis and cannabis products should not be prevented from performing its duties and risk its growing revenue stream by other agencies' unwillingness to support them. Please be in touch with the CCB, the Department of Health and the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets to ensure the needed collaboration among agencies to secure a successful implementation of the legislative intent and to protect the competitiveness and marketability of value-added cannabis products. Respectfully, ....”

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING THIS CALL TO ACTION!

VT's bipartisan childcare bill - H.217 - which provides critical financial support for VT families and childcare providers has been vetoed by the Governor.  As we wrote about 3 years ago in this Brief on Childcare which is a part of VT's Strategic Agricultural Plan, the affordability and accessibility of childcare is an issue which has particular impacts on farmers, farmworkers, and other members of our rural communities.  Though we expect the veto to be overridden by the strong bipartisan majority of legislators who support this bill, now is the time for us to contact our representatives to assure the passage of this essential piece of legislation.

Please use this form - or reach out to your representatives directly via phone or email - and encourage them to vote to override the Governor's veto later this month.  

If you are an ally or supporter of On-Farm Slaughter, we need you now!

There is a HUGE opportunity to step up your support for clarifying language to the Federal Meat Inspection Act’s personal-use-exemption to confirm on-farm slaughter is legal! 

The House Agriculture Committee of the U.S. Congress is where the farm bill starts and they have created a portal for direct stakeholder feedback! Please click on the blue button at the bottom of this alert to help our US legislators understand they should clarify On-Farm Slaughter is legal and make it a priority for the 2023 Farm Bill.

We have included a sample form below. You are free to copy and paste the italicized answers into your form for the questions as prompted. Including a personal quote as well about why On Farm Slaughter matters to you in addition would make a huge difference.

Sample form

1. Which of the 2018 Farm Bill titles do you or your organization have the most interest in? (select all that apply) *

ANSWER: Title XII, Miscellaneous

2. Are there any new programs or ideas that you or the organization that you represent would like to see considered for the 2023 Farm Bill? (please explain)*

ANSWER: I signed the petition to support clarifying language to the Federal Meat Inspection Act's personal-use-exemption. Currently, the petition has 897 signatories from 
48 states, led by 30% of stakeholders from Vermont. We urge you to support clarifying language to the FMIA’s personal-use-exemption to confirm state laws that are based on this federal exemption and allow livestock owners to have an agent slaughter their livestock on the farms where the livestock was raised and to access their meat without state or federal meat inspection. Currently, people who rely a part of their business on the personal use exemption, including farmers selling livestock for on-farm slaughter, itinerant slaughterers, and custom processors, are vulnerable when they base their decision on the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) to uphold its standing 2018 guidance - given that guidance could be easily changed.

3. Please include any additional information you feel is beneficial to your submission.

ANSWER: We recommend you to include here a personal note of why clarifying on-farm slaughter is legal would benefit you! Does your farm sell livestock to be slaughtered on a farm? Do you want to buy livestock to be slaughtered on the farm where it was raised because you believe that's the most ethical? 

Thank you again for submitting the form and for pushing this important work forward!

Do you want outdoor cannabis cultivation to be treated like agriculture in Vermont?

Urge the Senate Finance Committee to accept the amendments from the Senate Agriculture Committee related to agricultural exemptions for outdoor cultivators, and to devote portions of the excise tax to the Cannabis Development Fund and a fund for reinvesting in communities who have been disproportionately harmed by the criminalization of cannabis.  See Graham from Rural VT, and Geoffrey from Vermont Growers' Association speak with the House Ag Committee last week about many of these changes.

Emails addresses for Senate Finance Committee members:

acummings@leg.state.vt.us

mmacdonald@leg.state.vt.us

cbray@leg.state.vt.us

rmccormack@leg.state.vt.us

rbrock@leg.state.vt.us

kramhinsdale@leg.state.vt.us

tchittenden@leg.state.vt.us

Big news! The “miscellaneous cannabis bill” (H.270) is in the VT Senate, and there is a rare opportunity to make some real progress towards a cannabis economy which is racially just, economically equitable, and agriculturally accessible in VT!  

TAKE ACTION THIS WEEK!

Contact your representatives and these particular people and committees and ask them to support Rural Vermont and the VT Cannabis Equity Coalition’s policy recommendations for H.270 (scroll down for a draft message and list of VCEC's recommendations and talking points).

WHO TO CONTACT

• Senate Agriculture Committee:  

  • Chair Bobby Starr:  rstarr@leg.state.vt.us

  • Vice Chair Brian Collamore:  bcollamore@leg.state.vt.us

  • Richard Westman: rawestman@gmail.com

  • Brian Campion: bcampion@leg.state.vt.us

  • Irene Wrenner:  iwrenner@leg.state.vt.us

• Senate Economic Development Committee:

  • Chair Kesha Ram Hinsdale:  kramhinsdale@leg.state.vt.us

  • Vice-Chair Alison Clarkson:  aclarkson@leg.state.vt.us

• Senate Appropriations Committee:

  • Chair Jane Kitchel: jkitchel@leg.state.vt.us

  • Vice Chair Andrew Perchlik:  aperchlik@leg.state.vt.us

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SAMPLE MESSAGE
(copy, paste, customize!)

To: rstarr@leg.state.vt.us, bcollamore@leg.state.vt.us, rawestman@gmail.com, bcampion@leg.state.vt.us, iwrenner@leg.state.vt.us, kramhinsdale@leg.state.vt.us, AClarkson@leg.state.vt.us, jkitchel@leg.state.vt.us, aperchlik@leg.state.vt.us, rbrock@leg.state.vt.us, acummings@leg.state.vt.us, wharrison@leg.state.vt.us, rsears@leg.state.vt.us, pbaruth@leg.state.vt.us, vlyons@leg.state.vt.us

Subject: H.270 and support for Rural VT / VT Cannabis Equity Coalition Recommendations

Dear members of the Senate Agriculture, Economic Development, and Appropriations Committees,

I support the VT Cannabis Equity Coalition’s priorities to integrate greater racial justice, economic equity, and agricultural access into H.270 and VT’s cannabis laws.

[From here, you can include more about why this is important to you, and add any specific concerns or ideas you’d like to mention from our list below or your own. Lawmakers especially appreciate personalized messages vs. form messages.]

Thank you.

---

These are some of the reforms we think there is a path to be included in H.270:

• Social Equity Funding: Cannabis Development Fund and Community Reinvestment Fund

• Increase the income limit for Tier 1 Manufacturing License

• Extend the existing Tier 1 Outdoor Cultivation license exemptions to all tiers and types of outdoor cultivation such that it is regulated "in the same manner as" agriculture. 

• Propagation License and cultivation license sales of seeds and immature plants to the public

• Medical program reforms

• Increased plant counts for caregivers and home growers 

• Address potential Federal Hemp Program conflicts

• Public Consumption

---

Here are some specific and narrative bullet points on some of these issues which could be included in your message to lawmakers:

• Ask VT lawmakers to treat outdoor cannabis cultivation in VT as agriculture to the best of their ability - small farms and farmers are struggling with unnecessary barriers and bias to participate in this market!  Extend all of the Tier 1 outdoor cultivation exemptions to all tiers and types of outdoor cultivation!  

• Ask VT lawmakers to devote 10% of the cannabis excise task to the Cannabis Development Fund (the fund for social equity applicants which has no long term source of funding), and to create and devote 20% of excise tax funding to the Community Social Equity Program and Board to oversee the direct dispersal of this money into communities which have been disproportionately harmed by the criminalization of cannabis!

• Ask VT lawmakers to support small farmers and people in the community gardening cannabis at home by allowing smaller tiers of cultivators to directly sell immature plants and seeds to the public, and for the Propagation License proposed in this bill to also include the allowance to sell directly to the public.  People need places to get their seeds and plants locally - and local producers are excited to provide them to their communities!

• Ask VT lawmakers to respect the knowledge and expertise of VT’s medical cannabis community, caregivers, and patients - and to follow through with the recommendations of the Green Mountain Patients’ Alliance with respect to determining “qualifying medical conditions”, an adequate number of caregivers per patient, and a number of other priorities!

• There are very few ways of legally consuming cannabis in VT unless you are an owner of private property; and in states like Massachusetts there have continued to be significant racial disparities in arrests post-legalization partially due to laws like this which significantly limit places one can legally consume cannabis.  Ask VT lawmakers to approve public consumption of cannabis anywhere tobacco can be consumed, as has happened in our neighboring state New York.

THANK YOU!

Please be in touch with questions or if you need support in reaching out to your representatives or the relevant Committee members.

Urge Congress to Add Clarifying Language in the Federal Meat Inspection Act for On-Farm Slaughter to their Priorities for the Farm Bill!

Support the proposal to protect the practice of slaughtering livestock on the farms where they were raised and clarify the Federal Meat Inspection Act’s “personal-use exemption." Currently, farmers selling livestock for on-farm slaughter, itinerant (traveling) slaughterers, and custom processors all rely on guidance provided by the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), which bases the personal use exemption on ownership. USDA FSIS guidance, however, is vulnerable to change. 

The Farm Bill is a comprehensive piece of legislation that authorizes most federal policies governing food and agriculture programs. The Farm Bill has a miscellaneous section where a technical amendment to the personal-use exemption should clarify that it applies to persons who own animals instead of only to farmers who raise them. Twenty-seven states have livestock slaughter laws, based on this federal exemption, that allow livestock owners to have an agent slaughter their livestock on-farm, and to use that meat without state or federal inspection. The Federal Meat Inspection Act, enacted in 1906 and last updated in 1989, bases the personal-use exemption on who raised the animals instead of who owns them. 

The Federal Meat Inspection Act should be revised to protect personal use-based on ownership, reflecting modern FSIS guidance and ensuring that livestock producers and processors have permanent protection to practice on-farm slaughter in accordance with state laws.

Please support this Campaign and Take Action NOW!

1. Need more info? Policy Guide On-Farm Slaughter here

2. Call your US Senator and Representative in D.C.! Contact members of Congress here.
   Express your support with an individual message, you can customize this template message:
   “Dear Senator/Representative __________, I am reaching out to ensure that on-farm slaughter has a place in federal law and urge you to support our Petition to Clarify the Personal-Use Exemption. A resilient food system depends on small, direct-to-consumer farms outside of commodity agriculture, and those farms need a level playing field that can only be served by the protection and preservation of exempt market niches like the personal use exemption for on farm slaughter. Respectfully, _____________”

3. Share & Sign the Petition! LINK TO THE PETITION HERE

The Basic Needs of Farms, Small Businesses, Medical Patients, and Communities Disproportionately Impacted by the Criminalization of Cannabis are not being Addressed by the VT Legislature or Cannabis Control Board.

The legislature has the ability to take action right now to address clear and present inequities and negative impacts occurring in the cannabis marketplace for farmers and others.  Tell policymakers on the Senate Committee on Economic Development, Housing and General Affairs that they need to take action this session on our coalition’s priorities by including them in H.270 and by inviting impacted community members and the member-based advocacy organizations in our coalition into the committee to represent themselves and their needs.  We currently have a regulated market in which producers of the crop have no direct market access to the user of the product, in which farmers and outdoor producers face substantial barriers to participating in the market (from municipal regulation and current use, to federal law related to land trusts and programs like NRCS), and in which there is no tax revenue from this economy going towards addressing the impacts of criminalization and disproportionate enforcement in our communities (among other things).

There is harm actively occurring that can be stopped with statutory change.  Many farms and small businesses will lose their investments, livelihoods, and ability to operate this year without an improvement and extension of the exemptions provided to Tier 1 Outdoor Cultivators in Act 158 to all Tiers and types of Outdoor Cultivation license. These exemptions allow this scale of cultivation to be treated in the same manner as farming when it comes to development, municipal regulation, taxation and current use status.  Right now, there are new and existing operations which are dealing with unreasonable and potentially illegal restrictions and processes being enacted at the municipal level which will make it not feasible for them to operate and the Cannabis Control Board has said it is powerless to provide them legal support or advice.    

Contact Graham@ruralvermont.org for more information.

Rural Vermont stands in solidarity with Migrant Justice to support their campaign to persuade Hannaford’s Supermarkets to join the Milk with Dignity Program.

Join us!

To join Rural Vermont, and other organizations standing in solidarity with Migrant Justice and their Milk with Dignity campaign, please sign up here and you will be connected with specific actions in your area. In the Central VT area? Here are two ways to get involved locally:

1. Collaborating with other racial, social, and economic justice organizations in central Vermont, Rural Vermont is “adopting” the Barre, VT Hannaford’s store and holding visibility and education actions at the store in April. Email andrea@ruralvermont.org to find out how to get involved!

2. On May Day (May 1st), International Workers’ Day, we will join a regional day of action at the Barre Hannaford’s as other actions take place in Burlington, Middlebury and around the northeast. Join us from 1:30 - 3:30 on May 1!

Migrant Justice recently shared “For over two years now, farmworkers have called on Hannaford Supermarkets to join Milk with Dignity and protect farmworker rights and well-being. Despite dozens of actions and thousands of calls and emails, Hannaford continues to avoid responsibility. This means that the company hasn’t yet felt enough pressure. For Hannaford’s to come to the table and talk with farmworkers, they need to hear from their customers consistently and throughout the region.” 

If you have questions or want to help with organizing events in your area, please contact Andrea Stander, Rural Vermont’s Interim Grassroots Organizing Director.

Join the Protect Our Soils Coalition and support H.501 - An act relating to the regulation of food depackaging facilities - NOW! Call your Senator in support of this important legislation. H.501 is currently in the Senate Committee on Natural Resources - the committee who originally drafted the bill language. The committee is VERY busy and needs to hear that this issue is a priority for Vermonters in order to prioritize working on passing this bill out of committee in time. Reach out to committee members and ask to move the bill; include your personal Senators and express your support of passing H.501 this year!

Write an email to either or all of the committee members below and find your Senator here:

• Sen. Chris Bray, Addison District (Chair)  - cbray@leg.state.vt.us 

• Sen. Richard Westman, Lamoille District  (Vice Chair) - rawestman@gmail.com

• Sen. Brian Campion, Bennington District (Clerk) - bcampion@leg.state.vt.us 

• Sen. Mark MacDonald, Orange District - mmacdonald@leg.state.vt.us 

• Sen. Dick McCormack, Windsor District - rmccormack@leg.state.vt.us 

The bill would apply an precautionary approach to HOW food residuals are being managed in Vermont, avoiding contaminants like micro plastics through:

• more effective separation of the organics from their packaging at the point of generation

• A moratorium on any further permits for food depackaging facilities until rules have been adopted to regulate those facilities. 

• A collaborative stakeholder process that will convene to study the impact of the management of food residuals with depackaging technology and to report recommendations to the general assembly on how to regulate them best prior to rulemaking. 

Rural Vermont is part of the Protect Our Soils Coalition with VPIRG, CLF, Vermonters for a Clean Environment, Compost Association of Vermont and Black DIrt Farm - who represent the farmer member group Poultry Farmers For Compost Foraging. Our coalition supports the passage of H.501 and advocates to amend the bill to also include:

• A ban on the application of organics derived from depackaging facilities on agricultural land

• A pathway for clean waste streams and the use of composts from food residuals that have been separated from their packaging prior to their processing and land application. 

• Transparency for farmers, gardeners and other consumers utilizing compost, digestate or other end products that may contain pollutants that could get into soil, microorganisms, and plants as well as finding ways on how to address those issues best. 

* More info about the Protect Our Soils Coalition on the coalition’s website here 

* More background info about H.501 and its process to date in the Rural Vermont From The State House blog here

* Read H.501, as passed by the House, here

* Read the amendment proposals from the Protect Our Soils Coalition as talking points here and as legislative language here.

Email caroline@ruralvermont.org with any questions.

Are you a producer who is using surface water to irrigate crops or water livestock? Now is your chance to have your voice heard on an important bill that may affect you!

We have heard substantial concerns from many different farmers - in particular vegetable growers and some livestock producers - about H.466, a bill relating to surface water withdrawals and interbasin transfers. See this testimony offered to the Senate Agriculture Committee by vegetable producers, including a representative of the VT Vegetable and Berry Growers Association. These concerns include, among others: extremely low thresholds for inclusion in registration and metering, defining springs as surface water, the inclusion of human constructed ponds used for irrigation or watering livestock which have outlets to a Water of the State, the eventual permitting program envisioned in the bill, the lack of consideration of how this surface water is used after it is withdrawn, and the overall positionality and impact of agricultural water use in VT in comparison with other uses (see some specifics from the bill below).

This bill has already passed the VT House, and is now in the Senate Natural Resources Committee, where it is scheduled to be potentially voted out of Committee this Friday, March 25th.

Here's what you can do:

1. Review the surface water bill H.466 here and/or read the excerpted sections below.

2. Contact your representative and the Chair of the Senate Natural Resources Committee Christopher Bray and tell them how this law may affect you.

3. Ask Senator Bray for an opportunity to testify or submit written testimony to the Senate Natural Resources Committee.

If you’d like to discuss the bill or need assistance, please email Rural Vermont's Policy Director Graham Unangst-Rufenacht.

Some excerpts from H.466:

…

(20) “Surface water” means all rivers, streams, creeks, brooks, reservoirs, ponds, lakes, and springs and all bodies of surface waters that are contained within, flow through, or border upon the State or any portion of it. “Surface water” shall not include the following: 

(A) groundwater as defined in section 1391 of this title; 

(B) artificial waterbodies as defined under section 29A-101

(d) of the Vermont Water Quality Standards; 

(C) treatment ponds, lagoons, or wetlands created solely to meet the requirements of a permit issued for a discharge; and 

(D) constructed ponds or other impoundments that are used for irrigation or watering of livestock and that are not subject to the Vermont Water Quality Standards [based on our understanding, any constructed pond with an outlet to a Water of the State is subject to the Vermont Water Quality Standards, and therefore included in the definition of “surface water”].

…

Registration. Beginning on January 1, 2023, any person withdrawing 5,000 gallons or more of surface water within a 24-hour period shall register with the Secretary. Registration shall be made on a form provided by the Secretary, and shall include the following information:

(1) the location of each withdrawal, including each impacted surface water;

(2) the frequency and rate of each withdrawal;

(3) a description of the use or uses of the water to be withdrawn;

(4) the capacity of the system to be used for the withdrawal; and

(5) a schedule for the withdrawal.

(a) Program development. On or before July 1, 2026, the Secretary shall implement a surface water withdrawal permitting program that is consistent with section 1041 of this subchapter provided by the Secretary and shall include all of the following information:

(1) the total amount of water withdrawn each month;

(2) the location of each withdrawal, including each impacted surface water;

(3) the daily maximum withdrawal for each month;

(4) the date of daily maximum withdrawal; and

(5) any other information required by the Secretary.

(c) Methods of estimating withdrawals. The following methods shall be used to report the amounts of withdrawn surface water required to be reported under subsection (b) of this section:

(1) Withdrawals of between 5,000 and 50,000 gallons of surface water in a 24-hour period shall either provide an estimate of total volume or provide meter data. The report shall describe how any estimate was calculated.

(2) Withdrawals of more than 50,000 gallons of surface water in a 24-hour period shall provide meter data.

.......

(5) establish limitations on withdrawals based on low flow or drought conditions and the development of potential alternatives to meet surface water withdrawal needs in such cases; and

(6) require assessment of any reasonable and feasible alternatives to proposed withdrawals that may have less of an impact on surface water quality.