Legislative Update 1.14.26
The second year of a legislative biennium always hits the ground running! That is because there are bills that were introduced in 2025 that want to make it over the finish line in 2026, such as the Farm Security Fund, and there are bills that are being introduced this year that only have this session to pass into law. There is heightened tension this year given the historic shortfall in federal funding and the quickly shifting sands of the federal government, civil rights, and democracy. You can find Rural Vermont’s legislative priorities in our Course of Action for 2026. Like every year, we recommend checking out our 2026 Bill Monitor to dive deeper into what’s happening on the issues that matter to you. Please also visit our Advocacy Toolkit to learn more about the State House and to find valuable tips on how to approach it with your advocacy.
In the first week, both agricultural committees indicated that they will have a full plate this year and we are looking forward to keeping you posted via legislative updates as bills are starting to come forward. Rural Vermont and NOFA-VT staff got an initial briefing from farmer and Representative Greg Burt on two bills that he is going to introduce that seek to limit the ability of large (50kW+) solar development projects and we ask members to reach out to us if they are interested in us endorsing this type of legislation. One of the bills seeks to limit siting of large solar development projects on valuable agricultural fields (H.677) and the second one aims to increase the rate for the Uniform Capacity Tax on solar generation from $4 to $16 per kW of solar plant capacity (Uniform Capacity Tax bill, yet to be introduced). The second bill would also propose to use 50% of the revenue of the related to fund the Farmer Emergency Relief Fund (S.60), which we see as a ‘must pass’ bill this year. S.60 is off to a good start as the House Appropriations Committee used their first vote of the year to move the bill unanimously on January 13.
Another big priority this year is to reinstate the municipal exemption for farming and to codify the Right to Grow Food - we’re excited to be working with many big member-led agricultural organizations and relevant food systems stakeholders on this priority. We have already testified about these and other priorities in the Senate Ag Committee (view presentation here) - and are planning on testifying in a number of committees in the coming weeks. As you likely know, there are active debates around education reform legislation in the State, and we would like to hear from you if you are impacted by this and if you think it’s important to bring agrarian voices to lawmakers on those issues, and those issues to agrarian people. In addition, our legislative intern Summer Lang Moeller will summarize a presentation on the effects of the 2025 drought from the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets’ presentation to the House Committee on Agriculture, Food Resiliency and Forestry.
Municipal Exemption for Farming and the Right to Grow Food
Until recently, farms were regulated almost exclusively by the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets, and exempt from municipal zoning regulations. For example, towns couldn’t limit where farms were allowed, what animals could be raised, or when machinery could be operated. On May 30th, the Vermont Supreme Court ruled that farms are only exempt from municipal zoning as relates to water quality, which is regulated by the Required Agricultural Practices Rule and the VT Agency of Agriculture. Now, farms are vulnerable to a patchwork of agricultural regulations that could develop municipality by municipality across the state. If a town government were to take issue with how farms are currently regulated by VAAFM, or a particular farm in their community - they could directly affect how a farm has to operate, and determine what types of regulations and processes may be entailed for things such as farm roads, structures, livestock or practices to be approved, if at all in particular areas or cases. Rural Vermont has formed a coalition with the Vermont Farm Bureau, Agri Mark, Cabot, the Vermont Dairy Producers Alliance, NOFA-VT, the Vermont Association of Conservation Districts, the Connecticut River Watershed Farmers Alliance, Farm to Plate, and the Land Access and Opportunity Board to reinstate the municipal exemption as it has been understood since 1987. Our large coalition of ag and food systems stakeholders are further advocating to codify a Right to Grow Food in statute - which would protect food production which is not legally considered farming from municipal zoning as well. We are concerned based on conversations with the VT League of Cities and Towns and others that many planners and municipalities are interpreting the housing development agenda of Act 181 (2024) as a mandate to push farming and food production out of the hearts and “planned growth areas” of our communities. It is very important that farmers reach out to their Senators and Representatives on this issue and sign onto our letter in the link below to support this advocacy and indicate interest in staying engaged on this issue. In its first week in session, both agricultural committees started their briefings on this issue and Rural Vermont and the VT Farm Bureau presented opening remarks yesterday that can be watched on YouTube. We will be sharing our proposed legislative language in the days ahead.
Briefing Education Bill, Act 73 (2025)
In 2025 the VT Legislature passed a controversial education reform bill (Act 73, 2025) in collaboration with the Scott administration. However, the process of this bill being implemented is in question for a number of reasons - including the conclusions and report of the Redistricting Task Force, which encouraged the State to move in a particular direction not supported by the Scott administration and particular legislators. Rural VT has not been involved with this legislation, but we understand that our community of members has identified essential services and childcare as critical issues over time - and we know that the cost of living in VT and property taxes as a part of that, are also things our members and farming community struggle with. We’d like to hear how you may be impacted, or how you see farming communities being impacted by this legislation and its potential outcomes, or if you think it is important for Rural VT to be involved in a small or larger way in communicating about this to the farming community, and in bringing the farming community and its voices into the conversation. You can contact Graham@ruralvermont.org.
Summary Drought Survey 2025, Farm Security Fund (S. 60)
On January 7th, the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets (VAAFM) presented the preliminary results from a survey on the 2025 drought to the House Committee on Agriculture, Food Resiliency and Forestry (slides here, recording here). VAAFM does not have drought relief funding for farmers, and the intent of the survey was to better understand and document the impact on farms, with the potential to inform future relief funding programs from state and federal sources. Representative Michelle Bos-Lun expressed that the data should be used to inform the Farmer Emergency Relief Fund bill (S60).
The survey received ~200 responses, representing ~79,000 acres, 110 towns, and a strong spread across agricultural sectors. Responding farmers estimated total losses of over $15.9M, and 12 farms reported considering closing or relocating due to the drought. Just over half of responding farms predicted negative cash flow at some point in the coming year, and 59% said it was the worst drought they had ever experienced in their current location. VAAFM shared that the finalized results would be available online in an interactive format within the next few weeks, but the preliminary results (represented through graphs) can be explored further in the posted slides. We at Rural Vermont hope that the clear need for financial assistance demonstrated by the results of this survey will support the passage of a robust Farmer Emergency Relief Fund bill in this legislative session.
Update Farmer Emergency Relief Fund, S.60: During their first vote of the year, the House Appropriations Committee voted the bill favorably out of committee in a unanimous way! It will be on the House floor for a vote on Thursday, January 15th, starting at 3 pm. The bill will be presented by Rep Bos-Lun from House Ag and Rep Stevens from House Approps, and there will be an opportunity for other reps to ask questions and to propose amendments.
You can support this effort by joining us inside the State House on Thursday, January 15th at 3pm to show gratitude for House members as they pass this bill we've worked on so hard.
Local Food Purchasing by Schools & VT Foodbank
Schools and the Vermont Foodbank are continuing their efforts to increase their capacity to purchase food directly from Vermont farmers. Here are summaries of their requests from the legislature this year.
On January 13th, there was a presentation to the Senate Committee on Agriculture about Farm-to-School programs. Kayla Strom, the Farm-to-Institution Program Director at NOFA-VT opened the conversation by presenting the group’s ask: to continue the existing level of funding for the Farm-to-School Grants Program and the Local Foods Incentive Program ($500,000 each, for a total of $1M). Farm-to-School is a nationwide movement with the goal to better connect schools to local farms and the Local Foods Incentive Program is grant program established by law (Section 7 of Act 67, 2021) that reimburses schools for every school lunch served depending on the percentage of local ingredients (read the 2025 report on the program here). NOFA-VT shared that the program needed this ongoing support to keep enabling schools to spend the extra dollars it takes to purchase from local farmers, and eventually reach the Vermont Farm to School and Early Childhood Education Network’s goal of 30% local purchasing by 2030. Kayla was joined by Olivia, a student at Champlain Valley Union HS, who described the ways that involvement in Farm-to-School programs has helped her get out to work on farms, attend a NOFA-VT conference, and educate younger peers about sustainability. Karyl Kent, the Childhood Nutrition Director at Mt. Mansfield Unified Union School District, closed the presentation by pointing out the impact of these programs: “Our kids are very aware of the different farms in our communities now: If we’re not serving Chapin’s apples for lunch, they know it, and they’ll ask which sugaring operation their syrup is coming from.”
On January 7th, John Sayles the CEO of the Vermont Foodbank presented on the Vermonters Feeding Vermonters Program to the House Committee on Agriculture, Food Resiliency and Forestry. The goals of the program are to allow the foodbank to purchase a diversity of fresh, nutritious and locally produced foods, pay a fair price, and provide large scale contracts that provide security of sales to farmers. This year, with $500,000, the program has purchased from 17 larger farms. In the future, it hopes to provide grants for other organizations to set up purchasing relationships with smaller farms as well, and to create markets for culturally significant food crops (often important to immigrant communities) that are not typically available at the foodbank. The foodbank is requesting another $1.5M for the program this coming year.
Cannabis: Adult Use, Medicinal, and Hemp
Rural VT and the VT Cannabis Equity Coalition (Rural VT, Vermont Growers’ Association, VT Racial Justice Alliance, Green Mtn Patients’ Alliance, NOFA VT) will be visiting the Senate Committee on Agriculture on Friday the 16th to speak about some current questions around local and federal hemp regulations, and in particular to speak to our coalition’s goals and proposed language related to economic development and equity in the adult-use and medical cannabis regulations and community. These are similar priorities to what we have advocated for in the past, with some minor changes we will release later this week, including: dedicated excise tax funding, technical assistance and reinvestment in communities, direct sales for small producers, public consumption, medical reforms and more. The Chair of this Committee, Sen. Russ Ingalls, has reiterated that he would like to see cannabis businesses and producers treated like other businesses and farms - and for them given the opportunity to succeed economically by having fair regulations. We are anticipating legislation emerging in both the Senate Economic Development Committee and the House Committee on Government Operations, and perhaps Senate Agriculture.
The VT Cannabis Control Board has visited a number of committees in the first week - we monitored their testimony on hemp and abbreviated introduction in the Senate Agriculture Committee, as well as a relatively full introduction in the Senate Committee on Economic Development. VAAFM has dropped their hemp program and is deferring to the USDA for regulating hemp at this time. The CCB was stressing that legislators should reconsider how the CCB and VAAFM intersect in working together on hemp moving forward. The CCB released this report, as requested by the Legislature (Act 56, 2025), in November - our coalition’s ally the Land Access and Opportunity Board was a stakeholder in writing this report, and we have alignment with many of its recommendations.