Legislative Update 02.16.24

Table of contents

FULL 02.16.24 WEEKLY AUDIO RECORDING (roughly 20 minutes)
(includes all sections of the legislative summary)

Pending Legislation - An Overview of Bills that are Moving & Not

Most notably, H.603 about the sale of uninspected poultry in parts passed the House and is now in the Senate Ag Committee. Other bills we are following closely have made some progress as well:

  • H.612 - A bill related to miscellaneous cannabis amendments; and H.549, a bill around outdoor cannabis production. Both bills had multiple hearings with the House Committee on Government Operations and Military Affairs; and testimony was heard in the Senate Committee on Agriculture related to both bills;

  • H.706 - On banning neonic treated seeds, had several hearings and attention in the House Committee on Agriculture, Food Resilience and Forestry, and got a lot of press this past week.  It will be important for representatives to hear from their constituents about the need to support this bill if it’s going to pass this session.

  • H.128 - Would ensure farms with Accessory On Farm Businesses (AOFB) wouldn’t need to go through Act 250 for any improvements associated with the AOFB and further specifies what constitutes an AOFB.  Specifically, it defines “featuring agricultural practices or qualifying products” as a host farm’s agricultural practices or products being a “substantial” or “integral” component of any educational, recreational, or social event the AOFB hosts. The bill had several hearings in the House Ag Committee but has not had any votes on it yet;

  • H.550 - An act relating to expanding eligibility under the local foods grant program. The House Agriculture Committee has had several hearings;

  • H.614 - Related to land improvement fraud and timber trespass was voted on in favor by the House Committee on Agriculture and is now in the House Committee on Judiciary.

Rural Vermont is also tracking PFAS/PFOS related bills, most of which have not had much legislative action by the Committees on Natural Resources yet. Rural Vermont and the Eco Sanitation Coalition launched a Call to Action in our last newsletter, and activists from the VT PFAS Coalition organized a successful Environmental Advocacy Event in front of the State House (WCAX, ORCA Media, My Champlain Valley) at the beginning of the month. The Senate Committee on Agriculture undertook some educational hearings on the issue (view recording here). Relevant bills are:

  • H.674 An act relating to regulation of septage and other materials containing PFAS/PFOS substances

  • H.163 An act relating to eco-sanitation systems

  • H.164 An act relating to the permitting of low-impact wastewater systems 

  • S.197 An act regarding procurement and distribution of PFAS/ PFOS related adverse health conditions attributed to PFAS/ PFOS

  • S.25 An act related to cosmetic and menstrual products containing PFAS/ PFOS

A few other bills of note that have had some action are H.626, an act relating to animal welfare the House Committee of Government Operations, which has held hearings (more info below), H.540, a bill that would ease the siting of tiny houses, and H.550, an act relating to expanding eligibility under the local foods grant program. In addition, NOFA-VT is seeking an appropriation of $478,500 in the state budget to support Crop Cash (Plus) and Farm Share.

Take Action!

  • View recordings of hearings that interest you on our website here

  • Follow the active bill links to read the language of bills that interest you and be in touch with caroline@ruralvermont.org and cc: info@ruralvermont.org if you have any questions 

  • Reach out to the committee members of the Senate and House Ag Committees directly to comment on pending legislation by email, find all of their contact information below and more info on the legislative website.

House Committee on Agriculture, Food Resilience and Forestry

Senate Committee on Agriculture

Neonic Bill Update

There has been significant testimony from a range of stakeholders taken on neonic bills over the last few weeks. The House Committee on Agriculture heard about the impacts neonics have on bees and birds. Some very impactful testimony from Margaret Fowle of Audubon Vermont (a member of the Protect Our Pollinators Coalition) said that if a bird eats a single corn kernel that has been treated with neonics, it can destroy the reproductive system of the bird and could also lead to the bird becoming paralyzed or even die. The House Agriculture Committee heard from a dairy farmer who planted neonic treated corn next to non neonic treated corn to see what the differences are, and found that the non-treated plants grow to be about the same size as the treated plants, though she was unable to track the yield of the separate plants. Studies in VT, NY, and around the world have repeatedly shown minimal differences in yield between treated and untreated plots - and we heard this again from farmers in Quebec who have already transitioned in the Quebec Farmer Panel.  Extensive research from Cornell University has found that corn, soybean, and other seed coatings—the largest source of neonic pollution in Vermont—provide no overall economic benefits to farmers using them; and yet they are applied to more 99.6% of corn seed planted across more than 90,000 acres in VT.  Maddie Kempner of NOFA VT also testified since our last update in support of the bill.  NOFA VT is also a member of the Protect our Pollinators Coalition. The Champlain Valley Farmers Coalition submitted written testimony - supporting the bill if it were to be amended to mimic the neonic bill recently passed in New York.  The committee heard from Steve Collier of the Agency of Agriculture a number of times.  Most recently he expressed the Agency’s opposition to this legislation, conflating a number of unrelated issues with the effort to transition away from neonics, and characterizing the bill as a simple fix to a complex issue.  Rural Vermont will testify on H.706 on Wednesday, February 21st.

You can find all recordings of recent hearings on our website here

Cannabis Update

Rural Vermont and the VT Cannabis Equity Coalition were able to bring some of its organizational representatives, and community stakeholders, into the Senate Committee on Agriculture for testimony on February 8th.  Our coalition submitted our priorities, Rural VT submitted written testimony, as did some of the community stakeholders who came with our coalition, such as Myra Adams of Hidden Leaf Homestead.  We focused on the need to address directly funding racial and social equity with money from the cannabis excise tax and how that relates to ag, land, housing, and food; the need to address market equity for producers and manufacturers related to direct sales of plants, seeds, and the products they produce; and a number of ways in which the committee could work to further institutionalize outdoor cultivation as agriculture in VT in order to support producers and address substantial barriers.  Last year, the Senate Agriculture Committee proved helpful in having some of our priorities related to agriculture included in legislation. 

H.612 and H.549 continue to be in the House Government Operations and Military Affairs Committee.  Rep. Suprenant was also invited into committee to review the bill she introduced last session which includes some of our priorities, H.426.  We are working to get into committee as a coalition - along with community stakeholders - in order to address our priorities, and to address other testimony that has been provided.  

It will take representatives hearing from you - their constituents - to have many of our priorities addressed this year.  In particular, issues like having a portion of the excise tax being committed to racial and social repair and community investment, providing direct market access for producers and manufacturers, public consumption, and full expungement will need more vocal popular support.

S.301 - Senate Miscellaneous Agriculture Bill

On January 26, The Senate Committee on Agriculture introduced a new bill: S. 301 - An act relating to miscellaneous agricultural subjects. The bill proposes to make multiple miscellaneous changes to agricultural statutes, including amending the requirements for the Vermont Seeding and Filter Strip Program, licensing requirements for agricultural warehouses and livestock dealers, and eligibility requirements for financial assistance from the Vermont Agricultural Credit Corporation (VACC). 

Check out the bill language here

H.420 - Regarding Year-Round Agricultural Practices

Introduced and referred to the House Ag Committee last session, H.420 was now talked about in committee for the first time early in February. It proposes that the Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets establish a pilot program to provide financial assistance with the aim of establishing year-round agricultural practices across VT. Endorsed by numerous representatives, the bill was presented by Rep. Cina of Chittenden-15. Cina cited local food security, reduced transportation costs involved with transportation of out-of-state food, and future climate resilience as factors which should encourage the committee to consider the bill. In moving forward, he suggested that a focus on climate-adaptive crops and communal production facilities should be considered as possible aspects of the bill.

H.626 - Animal Welfare Bill

This bill proposes to establish a new Division of Animal Welfare at the Department of Public Safety to develop, implement, and administer a centralized program for investigating and enforcing animal welfare requirements on and off farms in the State. The bill would also amend  or establish best management standards for the operation of animal shelters and animal rescue organizations. In addition, the bill would amend or establish requirements for the importation or transportation of animals into the State. Similar legislation has been promoted by the Humane Society, the American Kennel Club and other organizations in the past (more info on VTDigger). Their hope is that H.626 could resolve the current shortcomings of the fragmented system so people would know better who to call about animal cruelty cases so that they can be dealt with in a more timely and effective manner. Its companion bill in the Senate, S. 292 is still “on the wall” and didn’t get any hearings yet in the assigned Senate Committee of Government Operations. Watch the bills first hearing here and this week's large hearing, including compelling youth testimony from Lark Thompson about how difficult it is for citizens to step up for animal welfare here.

H.687 - Related to community resilience and biodiversity protection through land use

H.687 would reform the name, functioning and composition of the Natural Resources Board (NRB) to review appeals to Act 250 permitting in the future as the Environmental Review Board. Any appeal to the Supreme Court would then accept the Board’s findings unless clearly erroneous. The new board would retain current duties of the NRB and also review applications of the planned growth area designations, review future land use maps or regional plans - including those that establish rural and working lands areas. Lawmakers also consider regulating development within critical resource areas, namely flood plains, wetlands, slopes, on bedrock, at high elevation, and a parcel of habitat connector. Critical Resource Areas would also include any amount of prime agricultural soils by definition of this bill. The Director of Policy and Planning (Billy Coster) at the Agency of Natural Resources admitted that the push back for regulating critical resource areas is expected to be much lower than towards regulating the land use of land outside of those areas. Mitigating land use conflicts is the big subject of this discourse. A change in the definition of ‘development’ suggests including the construction of commercial, residential or industrial buildings more than 500 feet from a State or town highway located in a rural and working lands area in the preview of Act 250 review. It would also add the review for construction projects within 25 feet of a critical resource area.

Rural Vermont Comment: This bill is not an alternative to the needed Conservation Plan that is being worked on as the Vermont Conservation Strategy Initiative from Act 59 (2023). The scarcity of arable land for food production is being recognized more and more and the state is wrestling with balancing all the different public interests at stake. That includes it being a question of what development of the working lands should be allowed in the future, how farmland needs to be protected from development but instead be made available to farmers, food production and enhanced conservation planning and practice. Act 250 permitting the concentric development of downtown centers will affect farmland and so will the expansion of flood zones, wetlands, eroded areas etc. so that a statewide look at what’s at stake is underway. Rural Vermont participates in the 30x30 or VCSI process. Read on for more information on the ongoing Vermont Conservation Strategy Initiative process later in this update. 

Recap Flood Recovery Hearing

The Senate Committee on Agriculture met February 6th to discuss flood recovery and relief efforts in the state, particularly focusing on the impact on agriculture. Douglas Farnham, the Chief Recovery Officer, provided updates on the status of recovery efforts, including funds available from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. He highlighted the importance of water system investments, in supporting farmworker housing and mentioned programs aimed at climate resilience for farmers. Discussions also centered around FEMA assistance for hazard mitigation projects, including buyouts and elevations, and the challenges faced by smaller communities in accessing federal programs. The committee explored options for mitigating flood risks while maintaining agricultural landscapes, including land conservation and floodplain restoration. The potential for collaboration with conservation districts to address runoff issues and gravel accumulation in rivers was also discussed. Members expressed concerns about the limitations of FEMA assistance and the need to address debris removal in rivers. They also highlighted the importance of considering traditional approaches like dredging and involving experienced individuals in decision-making processes. 

Watch the full hearing here.

More facts about agricultural land loss

Last week, the Agricultural Working Group of the Vermont Conservation Strategy Initiative (VCSI) considered a presentation by Ryan Patch, Agriculture Climate and Land Use Policy Manager at the Agency of Ag, covering land use in agriculture in Vermont from 1840 - 2024. Since the peak of agriculture in Vermont in 1880, when there were over 35K farms representing 84% of the entire VT landmass, ag production in the state has consolidated into 12% of the total land use today. In a business as usual scenario, makers of Act 250 project that 39% of the current agricultural land will produce less or no food due to being impacted as a “critical resource area,” namely river corridor, wetland, high elevation or as slope or soils with shallow bedrock. American Farmland Trust estimates that Vermont will lose between 41K to 61,800 acres by 2040 to development. The remaining 61% are under high pressure for development. How will the group decide about the question of which farmland should be protected from development for food production in the future? In our last update we shared that New England Feeding New England projects a need for an additional 989,000 acres across the North East U.S. to produce only 30% of food consumed in VT by 2030.

See Ryan Patch, Agriculture Climate and Land Use Policy Manager at VAAFM presentation recording (starting 1 hour into the meeting) here (Passcode: +smc28x^) 

View Slides of Ryan’s presentation on agricultural land use in Vermont 1840-2024 here

What’s going on? Raise your voice in the discussion around farmland conservation and land use planning in Vermont’s 30x30 process

Rural Vermont celebrates a successful push for transparency in the relevant public engagement process to find recommendations for land use in Vermont through conservation planning that’s underway until the end of 2025: All meeting recordings of all groups of the Vermont Conservation Strategy Initiative will be made available online! 

If you:

  • Want better farmland access for farmers

  • Want agricultural land to be protected from corporate land grabs and 

  • Want agricultural land to be protected from emission trading and net-zero scams

  • Want agricultural land to be protected from development

  • Have ideas around how to incentivize more sustainable land management 

  • Have ideas around how to increase biodiversity on farms 

Then please comment on this work! 

Comment by emailing Stacy Cibula, Facilitator of the Agricultural Working Group of the VCSI with your comments and concerns at s.cibula@vhcb.org subject: comment on VCSI work & consider to cc: caroline@ruralvermont.org 

To learn more about Rural Vermont’s engagement with the 30x30 process, please visit our website here

Find meeting recordings and more information on the VCSI website here

Farm to Plate 2023 Annual Report

VT Farm to Plate’s Annual Report yielded statistics signaling an increase in retailers of local food. Since 2018, the level of Vermonters purchasing local food at convenience stores and corner markets has increased from 41.9 to 86.9%. For rural areas that rely on corner markets and convenience more, this is great news. The report also included a figure announcing that 68.9% of Vermonters grow some their own food. For a State that is still over 90% import dependent (see NEFNE VT State Brief), this may indicate good ground for the further development of local self-reliance in food. Emma Hilleman, Director of the Vermont Food Center in Rutland, celebrating the 10th year of their organization, affirmed the organization’s impact in Rutland county and the necessity of similar organizations. Emma explained: “In 2022, our data did show that 75% of our participants were considered food insecure and that the average household income was only between $10,000 and $26,000 dollars, which is in the county low. A lot of these folks are already having trouble feeding themselves, let alone feeding themselves with local food and local healthy food. So our programs really have an impact on those folks.” Emma reported that, according to 2022 data, through the five programs affiliated with her organization that work on food-as-medicine and CSAs, 26 farms from across the state participated in selling over $119,000 of product. These programs, Emma said, reached close to 2000 people that year. Annie Harlow, who runs her own consulting business that helps bring VT products to retailers, reported an increase from 715 to 825 retailers selling local food from 2018. She emphasized the importance of developing relationships across the supply-chain to ensure that opportunities for the sale of VT food continues to increase.

Check out the Farm to Plate 2023 Annual Report here

Rural VermontPES, Neonics, cannabis
Legislative Update 01.26.24

NEW: Listen Here! - Legislative Updates & Recordings 

Having a hard time keeping up with the processes of the legislature? Or navigating the legislative website to find hearings of interest? Trouble finding recordings on YouTube? Listen up, Rural Vermont! is a new Rural Vermont webpage that features all 2024 VT legislative hearings relevant to agriculture. We’re also featuring highlights on social media that relate to our policy priorities.

Here is how to follow what’s happening at the statehouse!

Listen up, Rural Vermont! Legislative Video Recordings HERE

Table of Contents

Click on the links to read text updates OR listen to our new audio recordings!

FULL 01.26.24 WEEKLY AUDIO RECORDING
(includes all sections of the legislative summary)

H.706 Neonicotinoid Pesticides, and Act 145 (2022)

H.706 Neonicotinoid Pesticides, and Act 145 (2022): The House Agriculture Committee began a substantive session dealing with neonics by revisiting Act 145 of 2022, and then continued on to the consideration of H.706 - drafted by Rep. Chesnut-Tangerman. This bill is largely based on a recently passed NY bill which significantly limits neonic use. The NY bill is very similar to the bill we were working on with the Protect our Pollinators Coalition. This bill does 3 primary things:

  • Prohibits the sale and use of field crop seeds treated with neonics

  • Prohibits outdoor uses of neonics that risk significant harm to pollinators

  • Extends the existing neonic regulations to include treated seeds, making them “restricted use”

The European Union, Ontario, and Quebec have all recognized the harmful impacts of neonicotinoid pesticides and the lack of evidence supporting their efficacy for farmers; and have imposed severe restrictions on their use. In December, New York state passed legislation (S.1856-A/A.7640, “The Birds and Bees Protection Act”) which will fully go into effect in 2029 imposing similarly restrictive regulations. Rural VT has been part of the Protect Our Pollinators Coalition since 2023 to support similar legislation in Vermont, with the goal of a just transition away from the widespread use of neonicotinoid pesticides (“neonics”).  

According to pesticide sales and usage data reported by the VAAFM (Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets) in December 2023, 99.6% of corn seed, and 34% of soybeans sold in VT in 2022 were treated with neonicotinoids - accounting for 90,000 and 7,000 acres respectively. Extensive research and a report from Cornell University finds that corn, soybean, and other seed coatings—the largest source of neonic pollution in Vermont—are not only significantly harmful to insects, birds, other animals, and humans; but also provide no overall economic benefits to farmers using them. This conclusion continues to be confirmed by ongoing field trials in NY and Vermont, and by the accounts of farmers in Quebec who have transitioned away from neonics. Research in VT and NY has found neonics present in soil profiles of agricultural fields years after they were last treated, and in fields and forests which were never treated; highlighting the persistence and mobility of these pesticides, and raising significant questions about exposure, consent, and accountability for all farms.  

In 2021, the Agricultural Innovation Board (follow the link to see all of the presentations and documents reviewed or created by the AIB) was created by the VT Legislature both as an alternative to directly regulating neonic coated seeds itself (which Rural VT, NOFA VT, and other organizations were advocating for), and as a replacement for the Vermont Pesticide Advisory Council (VPAC). This Board was directly tasked with developing Best Management Practices (BMPs) for neonic treated seeds and released its recommendations in January 2024.  Disappointingly, these recommendations do not actually include BMPs, rather they focus on “research and education”.

Despite these recommendations, or lack thereof, Rural VT affirms the need to end the widespread prophylactic use of neonicotinoids via treated seed, and the other uses addressed in H.706. We also affirm the need to address the concerns and needs of the community of farmers who will be transitioning away from these pesticides, and the need to address the concerns and needs of the communities of beekeepers, farmers, and others who are negatively affected by them. We are generally supportive of H.706 as written - and are open to conversations about how it could be improved in order to better meet these concerns and needs. The legislation which was recently signed into law in NY was supported by a diversity of environmental organizations and agricultural organizations, hundreds of individual farms, and the New York Farm Bureau. We hope that VT can achieve a similar network of support.   

Recently, the discussion around neonics at the farm and policy levels has developed significantly - and there are more and more resources available for farmers and community members to further understand the issue. Heather Darby, UVM Extension, has recently been working with a cohort of farmers researching neonic and non-neonic plantings in VT. In December, she organized the webinar series, “managing neonicotinoids in row crops”; and you can see some of her presentations on the AIB website. Samantha Algers, UVM Research Assistant Professor and Director of the VT Bee Lab, also conducts research on pesticides and bee colonies, and worked to bring together a panel of Quebec farmers who have transitioned away from neonics and a Quebec agronomist this past week to speak specifically to their experiences as farmers transitioning. Frustrations within the VT beekeeping community with the Vermont Agency of Agriculture (VAAFM) have also come to a head related to the VAAFM’s recent Apiary Status Report and its relatively positive assessment of the health of VT’s bees and apiaries. The VT Beekeepers Association in its rebuttal to the VAAFM report writes, “The VAAFM’s claim of record honey bee numbers in Vermont as evidence of a ‘healthy and robust beekeeping industry’ is not only misleading but serves to undermine our industry and ongoing efforts in Vermont to protect managed and native bees, both of whom are in great peril.”  

As it stands now, farmers in VT are nearly universally planting neonic treated seed to prophylactically address potential pest issues leading to crop loss, yet are very rarely benefiting from these uses at all, and on a net level, are not economically benefiting even in crops that don’t rely on bees. This seed is treated outside of the state of VT by the seed companies providing them, and - based on accounts from farmers and technical service providers - often farmers are not aware what particular pesticides are on the seed coating. Here in VT there is, and prior to implementation of the law in Quebec there was, concern in the agricultural community using neonics related to a number of things, such as: potential crop loss, adaptation to new management practices, and sourcing the appropriate seed with the desired (non-neonic) treatments in the amount needed. However research and accounts of farmers who have transitioned continue to demonstrate similar yields between seed treated with and without neonics, very low incidence of crop infestation with the pests of concern, and farmers in Quebec spoke at length to the relative ease of sourcing seed and companies shifting application practices, one going so far as to say, “don’t be fooled” by what the seed companies are telling you.

TAKE ACTION!
It is early in this bill’s path, but it is not too early to contact your representatives, and the Reps in the House and Senate Ag Committees, to voice your support for H.706, transitioning away from neonics, and supporting farmers in transitioning.

H.603 on Selling Parted Birds Without Inspection up for vote on the House Floor

H. 603 seeks to allow the sale of uninspected poultry parts from the farm, at farmers’ markets, and to restaurants. It strikes the words “whole bird” from the existing Vermont statute, which is based on existing USDA Guidance. New research from the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund highlights in a state-by-state poultry map that many states defer to the USDA to define what is allowed under the exemption from inspection. Standing USDA Guidance from 2006 defines that: “The terms “processed” and “processing” refer to operations in which the carcasses of slaughtered poultry are defeathered, eviscerated, cut-up, skinned, boned, canned, salted, stuffed, rendered, or otherwise manufactured or processed.” The House Committee on Agriculture, Food Resilience and Markets (HAG), heard from a series of farmers over the last couple of weeks who all expressed difficulties with marketing whole birds only and shared excitement about the potential economic gains from H.603. Staff from the Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets (VAAFM) is in support of the bill though suggested more clarity around what type of processing should be allowed. Their suggested edits attempted to rule out processing beyond additional parting, especially: chicken pot pie. In concurrence with VAAFM’s recommendation, the committee decided to specify that  “raw” poultry would be exempt in the 1,000, 5,000 and 20,000 bird exemptions. On 01/23/24, H.603 was voted out of the HAG committee with unanimous support and is now underway to the House floor. UPDATE: H.603 passed the full House on 1/26/24! We believe the bill has a good chance of being passed this session! 

 Video recordings available to date on H.603:

  • 1/23/24 HAG committee vote on Draft 2.2. recording here

  • 1/18/24 VAAFM proposed language; Lucky Fields Farm and Jack Vorster here

  • 1/17/24 Committee Discussion on H.603 part 1, part 2

  • 1/16/24 Putting Down Roots/Romas Butchery & Rural Vermont on Land Access here

  • 1/11/24 VAAFM initial response; Union Brook Farm here

  • 1/09/24 Bill Introduction here

Action Alert! RAP Rewrite, including Composting Food Residuals

The Farm to Plate Food Cycle Community of Practice (FCC) has been drafting recommendations for implementing Act 41 (2021) and rules for on-farm composting in Vermont's Required Agricultural Practices Rule. To date, the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food, & Markets (VAAFM) have not launched their rulemaking process, continue to delay their legislative mandate to launch a rulemaking in January of last year, and did not offer a timeline for the promised process in their recent annual report on the practice. Instead, VAAFM has deviated from their mandate to issue rules by saying: “The duality in the regulation of compost creates an inherent problem for both the regulators and the regulated community.” In a presentation to the Senate Committee on Agriculture, VAAFM chose to highlight a case of one business aiming to take advantage of the new law without actually also being a farm - the same approach opponents of Act 41 have taken in the past (recordings: part 1, part 2 (until 30:15)). The outstanding rules will directly impact farms' ability to both establish and grow existing composting efforts, a key climate change mitigation strategy that also improves farm production. The upcoming rewrite is also an opportunity to include Soil Health Principles and a new understanding of agricultural wastes as resources (different from actual waste) in the RAPs. 

TAKE ACTION!
Review and share your input!  Everyone can view the FCC draft recommendations for on-farm composting rules here. Fill out this form to add your comments and questions.  Deadline for providing input is Friday, February 16th. If you're not comfortable with Google Drive, please email or call Natasha Duarte (Compost Association of Vermont at natasha@compostingvermont.org | 802-373-6499).

Action Alert! Allow Compost Toilets and Ban Land Application of Septage NOW!

In Vermont, flush toilets are the largest water user in most homes with as much as 2 gallons lost with every flush. Wastewater treatment plants are vulnerable to flooding, releasing contaminants into the water during extreme weather events - especially last year (VTDigger 12/23/23). In 2023, H.163 related to eco-sanitation systems was introduced and would implement a study committee to develop recommendations to improve the accessibility and best management of compost toilet systems in Vermont. The Secretary of the Agency of Natural Resources highlighted how the lack of wastewater treatment plants limits economic growth and housing development (VTDigger) and compost toilets can offer a climate-friendly solution to managing “humanure” in a decentralized way. Currently, the use of compost toilets is allowed. However, composting and using the by-product (“organics”) is not. Instead, these organics must be buried, but the Eco-Sanitation Coalition claims that homeowners report high expenses and unclear pathways for obtaining the needed permit for burying solids; as well as a lack of guidance for storage and management during winter months. H. 163 is currently “on the wall” in the House Committee on Environment and Energy (HEE) where it’s unlikely to receive much or any attention given the high workload of that committee. A related bill is also stranded in that committee, H.674 which seeks to ban the spread of septage on farmland in the State. The bill would stress a report on the allowed spread of sewage sludge which is associated with the spreading of PFAS. Rural Vermont is in contact with farmers in Maine affected by legacy contamination of the land application of municipal wastes. We believe the Vermont legislature needs to support folks who want to invest in low-impact compost toilets and invite farmers from Maine to share about how to address PFAS contamination. 

TAKE ACTION BY END OF MON JAN 29TH!
Support more climate resilient ways of waste management & email or call Representatives to Ask for H.163 and H.674 to be transferred to the House Agriculture, Food Resilience and Forestry Committee (HAG) Now!

SEND AN EMAIL!
Here is suggested messaging (don’t forget to add a personal note at the end!):

Dear Representatives,

Vermont is now a state prone to flooding and many of our wastewater systems failed during extreme weather conditions. The Maine Legislature is leading the way to address legacy contamination of farmland with biosolids. We need your support for decentralized low-impact compost toilet systems as well as a ban on the continued spread of septage and sludge on farmland that causes accumulation of PFOS/PFAS contamination. Farmers are the ones most affected by these issues. Farmers in Maine have become sickened and lost their farms due to PFAS contamination, and it is often farms who use compost toilets for their guests and employees. We are worried that neither issue will be prioritized this session in the House Committee on Environment and Energy and kindly request to transfer H. 163 and H.674 to the House Committee on Agriculture, Food Resilience and Forestry.

[Insert personal note here!]

Respectfully, 

Your name

And below is the list of Representatives from HAG & HEE that need to receive the above message by the end of Monday, January 29, 2024. If you’d prefer to call and leave messages, the State House phone number is (802) 828-2228.

Bennington - Rep. David Durfee, Chair HAG - ddurfee@leg.state.vt.us
Windsor - Rep. Heather Surprenant, Vice Chair HAG - hsurprenant@leg.state.vt.us
Orange - Rep. Rodney Graham, Ranking Member HAG - rgraham@leg.state.vt.us
Windsor - Rep. Esme Cole, HAG - ecole@leg.state.vt.us
Grand Isle-Chittenden - Rep. Josie Leavitt, HAG - jleavitt@leg.state.vt.us 
Lamoille - Rep. Jed Lipsky, HAG - jlipsky@leg.state.vt.us
Caledonia/Washington - Rep. Henry Pearl, Clerk, HAG - hpearl@leg.state.vt.us
Windsor/Orange - Rep. John O'Brien, HAG - jobrien@leg.state.vt.us
Bennington/Rutland - Rep. Mike Rice, HAG - mrice@leg.state.vt.us
Orleans - Rep. David Templeman, HAG - templeman@leg.state.vt.us
Caledonia - Rep. Charles Wilson, HAG - cwilson@leg.state.vt.us
Addison - Rep. Amy Sheldon, Chair HEE - asheldon@leg.state.vt.us
Windham - Rep. Laura Sibilia, Vice Chair HEE - lsibilia@leg.state.vt.us
Bennington - Rep. Seth Bongartz, Ranking Member HEE - sbongartz@leg.state.vt.us
Rutland - Rep. Paul Clifford, HEE - pclifford@leg.state.vt.us
Chittenden - Rep. Kate Logan, HEE - klogan@leg.state.vt.us
Windsor - Rep. Kristi Morris, HEE - kmorris2@leg.state.vt.us
Lamoille/Washington - Rep. Avram Patt, HEE - apatt@leg.state.vt.us
Orange/Washington/Addison - Rep. Larry Satcowitz, HEE - lsatcowitz@leg.state.vt.us
Chittenden - Rep. Gabrielle Stebbins, Clerk, HEE - gstebbins@leg.state.vt.us
Orleans - Rep. Brian Smith, HEE - BSmith@leg.state.vt.us
Washington - Rep. Dara Torre, HEE -dtorre@leg.state.vt.us

Amending the Accessory On-Farm Business Law

H.128 seeks to amend the existing Accessory On-Farm Business Law (Act 143), to bring greater clarity and consistency to laws related to development and accessory on-farm businesses. See the summary of H.128 from the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets here.  If you operate a farm store that sells more than your own farm grown products, if you host farm based stays or events, or if you’re considering either of these options, then this bill affects you.  

Financial Assistance for Fruit Farmers

H.813 seeks to establish a new program for financial assistance for fruit farmers who suffered production losses in the calendar year 2023 due to freezing or frost conditions. As introduced, the proposed appropriation of $10M would focus on covering losses during 2023 and not also cover potential losses that may occur in 2024 and onwards. Bill introduction is scheduled for Friday 1/26.

Farmland Access & Local Self Reliance

A presentation on New England Feeding New England (NEFNE) focused on food resiliency and the goal of New England producing 30% of our own food by 2030. Regarding the majority of foods, the state is over 90% import-dependent - currently importing 50% of all dairy, 96.8% of all proteins, 91.3% of all fruits, 98.4% of all grains, and also 71.7% of all vegetables consumed in Vermont (see NEFNE VT State Brief). The presentation included a graphic indicating that VT will lose approximately over 40 thousand acres that are currently in food production by 2040 if development and farmland loss continue as it is. It also states that to reach 30% regional self-sufficiency, New England states need to bring 400,000 acres of under-utilized land back into production and 590,000 acres of land that is currently growing up into wood, back into ag production by clearing it. VAAFM addressed the findings of the NEFNE brief and explained a designated focus of the Agency is on supply chain and distribution. Rural Vermont’s Legislative Director Caroline Gordon commented that markets alone won’t solve the issue of farmland access for farmers and requested a thorough policy discussion on the issue of the loss of farmland and the feasible policy solutions to facilitate farmland access.

In the Senate Committee on Agriculture, John Roberts (State Executive Director of the USDA Farm Service Agency) testified on ongoing flood relief for farmers. Regarding rising farmland prices, John Roberts explained: “The data I have shows that VT was averaging about 3,500 thousand dollars per acre for farms (in 2020). That has risen by just over a thousand dollars to 4,600. But when I look at our neighboring states, MA, they’re taking 15,000 dollars and RI 18,000 an acre… The demand, I think, is rising for several reasons. Big farms continue to get bigger… I suspect that people are coming up here and saying ‘I can buy so much more!’” Roberts clarified that while foreign buyers are not a high concern for the state, a combination of farm expansion and the acquisition of farmland to develop “trophy homes” are relevant factors

Regarding these trends, Vermont’s potential to be a future target of climate-motivated land grabs is worth noting. A 2020 study by ProPublica and The New York Times projects that, from 2040-2060, out of all counties across the U.S that will be safest from climate devastation, 6 out of the top 10 are in Vermont. American Farmland Trust reports that 40% of farmland will change hands over the next 15 years, suggesting a possible trend of climate-motivated speculative buying that will cause further rises in farmland prices. To learn more about pending legislation on the federal level to protect farmland for farmers, check out The Farmland for Farmers Act. 

Vermont State Brief on Local Self Reliance (NEFNE) here

Ellen Kahler (NEFNE) presentation to SAG here, recording HAG here

John Roberts (FSA) presentation to SAG here

Caroline Gordon comment on land access here

Cannabis

Rural VT continues to work with the VT Cannabis Equity Coalition to support the passage of legislation we drafted last year (S.127), and to support the inclusion of particular priorities in H.612 - the Miscellaneous Cannabis bill - which was recently introduced in the House Government Operations Committee.  H.612 proposes to do a number of things, including getting rid of “THC Caps” (one of the priorities of our coalition partner Vermont Growers’ Association), and exempting farm buildings used by licensed outdoor cannabis cultivators from the definition of “public building” subject to fire safety requirements.  Our priorities include, but are not limited to:

  • Tax Revenue invested in communities disproportionately harmed by the criminalization of cannabis

  • Tax Revenue invested in the Cannabis Development Fund

  • Direct Markets and value added for smaller tiers of cultivators and manufacturers

  • Further develop agricultural status for outdoor producers related to:

    • Farm buildings, “public building” status, and fire safety requirements

    • Nonabutting SPANs

    • Wetlands 

  • Expungement

  • Public consumption

  • Increasing homegrow allowance

  • Supporting Green Mtn Patients’ Alliance medical priorities

Rural Vermont
Food Sovereignty in 2024

As communities around the world celebrate the new year and their respective traditions and holidays associated with this time of long nights and short days - in Palestine, the historical home of many of these traditions, nearly 10,000 children and more than 20,000 people have been killed and have not been celebrating with their families and communities.  Many still lie buried and broken under the rubble of bombed buildings, schools, hospitals, refugee camps.  Christmas was canceled in Bethlehem.  Many of our seasonal stories speak of redemption, but we do not live in a comforting story with happy endings - and we see signs of deeper commitment to the killing and destruction and oppression from Israel, the US and the other patrons of the war.  As an organization, we affirm our responsibility to speak for peace, and to advocate for an end to the genocide, apartheid, occupation, and dehumanization of the Palestinian people; this time citing the Nyeleni food sovereignty declaration of 2007, 

“Food sovereignty is challenged by repression and state terrorism, particularly as conflicts affect communities' control over territories. This limits their access to land, water, food and excludes their participation in decision-making. For peoples living under occupation, self-determination and local autonomy become crucial in order to achieve food sovereignty.”

2023 brought hardship directly to many farms and communities across Vermont and around the world: flooding, fire and other climate change related disasters; farm closures, and crop and equipment loss; loss and damage of housing and shelter; contamination of land and waters; economic and political marginalization related to dramatically increasing economic inequity making land, healthcare, and many essential needs further out of reach for the working class.  People work to recover here as they do globally - mutual aid networks among community members and local organizations grow into the spaces of need; farms redesign and rebuild, with aid from neighbors, and farming organizations and agencies; municipal governments and state governments do what they can with the little public resource that remains after decades of neoliberal policy which has impoverished the public sector and enriched private corporate interests. 

Our shared work towards food sovereignty and dignified lives and livelihoods for Vermont’s agrarian communities is part of and greatly strengthened by a larger, global social movement led by rural agriculturists. In early December, Rural Vermont Director of Grassroots Organizing Mollie Wills attended the 8th International Conference of La Via Campesina in Bogotá, Colombia as a representative of the National Family Farm Coalition.  More than 400 delegates of La Via Campesina, representing 185 organizations and movements in 83 countries, together with allies, came together from the 1st to the 8th of December of 2023 to affirm that:

“We, the peasants, rural workers, landless, indigenous peoples, pastoralists, artisanal fisherfolk, forest dwellers, rural women, youth and diversities and other peoples who work in the countryside around the world and united within La Via Campesina, declare that ‘Faced with global crises, we build food sovereignty to ensure a future for humanity!’ towards a just and decent food system for all, recognizing peoples’ needs, respecting nature, putting people before profit and resisting corporate capture.”

We are here for each other - our neighbors and family locally and globally. Silence and inaction is a position - and as we’re embarking on the new year, we affirm Rural Vermont’s commitment to not be silent. And we will continue to amplify your voice in the Vermont State House, in our meetings with our congressional delegation in Washington DC, and in hearings and meetings around Vermont with those in positions of power. 

We affirm that the scope of Rural Vermont - and all organizations whether they choose to acknowledge it or not - is necessarily local and global, and that our own democracy, food sovereignty, and well being is irrevocably tied to the political power, food sovereignty and well being of people all around the globe.  We will not be silent about the US funded and diplomatically and militarily defended starvation and genocide of the Palestinian people; about the need for publicly funded universal healthcare and social services and the ineffectiveness and exploitation of the for-profit healthcare system; about the catastrophe of the financialization of nature and the hollowness and inequity of the “net zero” climate philosophy and its tools of carbon “off-sets”; about the US domestic and international agricultural and economic policy which explicitly sought - and seeks - to reduce the number of farms and farmers, and to favor ever increasing agribusiness consolidation and the concentration of profits, resources, and political power. These are examples of fundamental threats to our food sovereignty, food security, democracy, and the wellbeing of our communities in Vermont and to the global community we are inextricably a part of. 

When you step off of your farm, out of this country, and into the international environment with a relatively proportional representation of the worlds’ peoples - in particular the peoples of the global south - your global and biological citizenship is immediate. You are one of many facing climate change, facing economic inequity, facing the challenges of accessing land and producing food for your community. The role of the United States and how it is perceived and experienced is part of your identity in these spaces, and the imperatives for responsibility, accountability, repair, solidarity, and just transition are paramount. This is our family - this is our home, this one planet, and we hold each other in the sturdy yet tenuous web of life. Together, we work towards Rural VT’s vision for “a just and equitable world rooted in reverence for the earth and dignity for all…in which communities of microorganisms, animals, plants, and humans tend one another and nurture generations to come.“

May this new year bring us greater understanding of and solidarity with our human and biological families; may it bring us greater willingness to not be silent to the injustices around us; may it bring us health, good harvests, and food sovereignty, with more people being fed with food grown by more and more people on more and more farms; may it bring us hope and joy in the company of one another, and the places we inhabit; may it bring us the fortitude to continue on, pressing for the change we need to grow a world in which everyone is fed, everyone can put their hands in the soil, and on the reins, and safely lay their head upon a pillow at the end of a day, in a place of warmth, with a solid roof over their head.

Rural Vermontfood sovereignty
2024 Legislative Session Preview & How to Guide

The second year of the legislative biennium has begun! There are more or less three months to work on legislation per session, so lawmakers hit the ground running. Year two of a biennium means a shorter timeframe to move bills along, but also offers a quicker start with less need for introductions and background. 

Below is a summary of what bills have been introduced, which ones part of Rural Vermont’s priorities, which bill we’ll be monitoring on behalf of the farming community, and some that we’re simply curious about. Highlights include:

  • a bill on the sales of uninspected poultry parts (H.603); 

  • a bill on the ban of the land application of biosolids (H. 674);

  • Bills on eco-sanitation systems (H. 163 and H.164):

  • Cannabis legislation (H.549 and H.612)

  • Neonicitinoids legislation (H.706)

  • Accessory On-Farm Business (H.128)

  • And more

See the Full List of 2024 Bills that Rural Vermont is tracking HERE

Please be in touch with caroline@ruralvermont.org if you want to share your thoughts regarding legislative work and if you’d like to take action or otherwise support this work. We hope that sharing regular updates in new formats will inspire you to get involved. For the start of this legislative session, check out some of the first recordings that we’re archiving on our website; and get some tips about the legislature and citizen advocacy.

Listen Up, Rural Vermont! Legislative Recordings here

Good to know Tips about the VT Legislature here

Rural Vermont
2024 Course of Action

Check out Rural Vermont’s 2024 Course of Action, an overview of some of the many issue areas we work on and support. Highlights include: 

  • New Stakeholder Group! Seeking the sale of uninspected parted poultry - sign up HERE to engage in this work during the 2024 legislative session. 

  • On-Farm Slaughter Livestock: continued federal campaign to protect Vermont's OFS law from arbitrary USDA decisions in relation to “equal to” status of meat inspection programs. 

  • Neonicotinoids: 2024 state legislation to further reduce & restrict the use of neonicotinoids in the environment, including phasing out neonicotinoid treated seeds in VT, while advocating for supporting farmers in transition.

  • Cannabis: Ongoing work with the VT Cannabis Equity Coalition for an economically equitable, racially just, and agriculturally accessible market.

  • Rewrite of the Required Agricultural Practices Rule: Working with the Food Cycle Coalition on a revision of the RAPs to include specifics about composting food scraps on farms - the release is being awaited for 2024. 

  • Land, Capital, and Housing: The Biodiversity Bill (Act 59) will roll out a public engagement process in 2024 to shape a Conservation Plan that includes a vision for keeping the working lands open - reach out and share your policy recommendations for securing long term access to land, capital, and housing for the agricultural community. 

  • La Via Campesina supported Agroecology and Movement Building School: We are part of a collective effort to build an agroecology & movement building school in Vermont in collaboration with local, national and international partners. This emerging and itinerant effort highlights farmer to farmer training models, popular & political education, and seeks to uplift the many farmers & farmworkers already leading this work.

Our 2024 priorities for organizing, education, advocacy and action are shaped at the intersection of many influences, but are always farm(work)er-led through direct feedback, stakeholder groups, advocacy opportunities and more, with guidance from our board, members, and greater community. Learn more about our Board of Directors HERE, or become a Rural Vermont MEMBER. 

2024 Rural Vermont Board of Directors



Rural Vermont
Earned Income Tax Credit Expansion in 2023 and 2024

The Earned Income Tax Credit provides an added layer of economic security to people living in VT based on their income and number of children.  The Public Assets Institute offers a number of resources to support you in determining your eligibility and potential benefit - including the EITC Calculator.  In 2023, the EITC was expanded to all qualifying Vermont residents regardless of whether they have a Social Security card or an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN).  There will be work to further improve tax credits in 2024 (see a summary here!) - learn more, and sign-on and share your story here!


Rural Vermont
Fair Share for Vermont Campaign!

Rural Vermont is supporting a coalition of organizations - Fund Vermont’s Future - in its proposal for a more equitable taxation policy for Vermont.  The Fair Share for Vermont proposal is a 3% personal income tax surcharge on annual income over $500,000, affecting the wealthiest 2% of Vermont taxpayers and generating approximately $98 million in state tax revenue that can support the needs of the public.  Let your representatives know that you support this legislation ahead of the 2024 legislative session! You can read their flyer HERE!


Rural Vermont
Coming Up: Sale of Uninspected Poultry Parts @ 2024 Legislative Session

Poultry producers noted for years that Vermont law limits their ability to reach customers and generate value by only allowing for the on-farm slaughter of whole birds only. New research of the Farm-To-Consumer Legal Defense Fund now shows that the USDA actually allows for the uninspected sale of processed birds through guidance. Get in touch with caroline@ruralvermont.org if you want to engage in supporting 2024 legislation in Vermont to allow for the sale of poultry parts through on-farm slaughter!

Many states defer to USDA guidance in allowing the sales of parted birds. The USDA applies a broad definition of processing and allows for the sale of uninspected parted birds under the exemption. Rural Vermont now suggests to strike the language in Vermont statute limiting sales to whole birds only from the law to uplift the default of what’s allowed to the standing USDA guidance. We’re excited for the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets continued support in the federal on-farm slaughter livestock campaign and to share that VAAFM will not oppose this change to advance the on-farm slaughter poultry!

For more info, review the On-Farm Poultry Processing Laws here and standing USDA Guidance here; as well as the current Vermont law for the sale of uninspected poultry here.

Rural Vermont
Conservation Planning Beyond Carbon Markets

Last week, the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board facilitated their first public engagement meeting for the new Vermont Conservation Strategy Initiative - which the new 30x30/50x50 public engagement process is now called. In that process, stakeholders and the public will collaborate towards an inventory and plan for a conservation vision that (also) seeks to better support the working lands and sustainable land management that enhances biodiversity. 

Along those lines - check out what Rural Vermont board members and staff shared at last week’s Food and Climate Panel: Beyond Carbon Markets

Watch the Food and Climate Panel here

Watch VHCB explain 30x30/50x50 here


Rural Vermont
2024 Course of Action

2024 priorities for organizing, education, advocacy & action: an overview of some of the issue areas we  work on & support. Learn more at ruralvermont.org, follow us on social media, & subscribe to our emails. 

Federal On-Farm Slaughter Amendment: With national partner organizations, we’ll continue working to  protect States from arbitrary and capricious decisions by USDA officials in relation to “equal to” status of  meat inspection programs and to clarify the personal-use exemption language to explicitly allow livestock owners to slaughter their animals on the farm they were raised or to hire an itinerant slaughterer. The  Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets supports more clarity on this issue.  

Neonicotinoid Pesticides: As members of the “Protect our Pollinators” coalition, we are working towards  legislation which will further reduce & restrict the use of neonicotinoids in the environment, including  phasing out neonicotinoid treated seeds in VT, while advocating for supporting farmers in transition.  

Cannabis: We’ll continue our work with the VT Cannabis Equity Coalition for an agriculturally accessible, economically equitable, & racially just market. Some goals include: addressing barriers related to agricultural  status, supporting individual producers with challenges navigating regulations, investment in communities  disproportionately harmed by criminalization, and ensuring direct market access for producers & the public. 

Healthcare: In collaboration with grassroots & other healthcare advocates, we’ll continue to offer  farm(work)er specific training opportunities around healthcare access, amplify agrarian voices in healthcare,  & work in coalition with healthcare advocates towards publicly funded universal access to healthcare for all.  

Market Development & Rules for Composting Food Residuals On Farms: With the Protect Our Soils  Coalition, we are working to secure markets for on-farm and community scale composting of food  residuals by advocating for regulating PFOS/PFAS in agriculture and depackaging technology, and  strengthen-ing the source separation requirement and the hierarchy for organics management. As part  of the Food Cycle Coalition, we’re working on a Required Agricultural Practices rule revision to include  specifics about composting food scraps on farms - the release is coming in 2024.  

Land, Capital, and Housing: Long term secure access to land, capital, and housing are some of the most  pressing issues faced in the agricultural community. The Biodiversity Bill (Act 59) will roll out a public  engagement process in 2024 to shape a Conservation Plan that includes visions and policy recommendations  for keeping working lands open. Simultaneously, the Home Act charges all local planning commissions to set  goals for housing development. We are working nationally and locally to ensure that U.S. farmland stays in  the farmers’ hands. We will continue to monitor & communicate the work of groups such as the Land Access  and Opportunity Board & Milk with Dignity which focus on housing, land, & equitable access & distribution. 

Agricultural Program Development and Opposing Carbon Market Development: We’re uplifting farmer led needs to improve existing programs’ visibility, access, scope, funding and project turnaround. 

La Via Campesina supported Agroecology and Movement Building School: We are part of a collective  effort to build an agroecology & movement building school in Vermont in collaboration with local, national  and international partners. This emerging and itinerant effort highlights farmer to farmer training models,  popular & political education, and seeks to uplift the many farmers & farmworkers already leading this work.  

Workshop Series: We’ll continue food sovereignty workshops, partnering with farmers & other members of  the agricultural community to teach cooking of farmed, foraged, and wild foods; slaughter & processing of poultry, rabbits and livestock; growing & processing cannabis; & food scrap composting (new!).  

Solidarity: Food sovereignty & food justice are grounded in human rights, territorial rights, the right to food & culturally appropriate food, freedom from oppression, dignified lives & livelihoods, & solidarity.  We stand in solidarity with communities locally and around the world seeking self determination and essential rights, & work to influence policy towards anti-imperialism, food sovereignty, and a just peace.  

Quarterly Member Forums & Ongoing Grassroots Engagement: Member forums discuss particular issues  affecting farms or communities, and what we are currently working on. Additional feedback sought from  members and allies on an ongoing basis through 1:1 meetings, community conversations, surveys, & more.  

Small Farm Action Days: We’ll continue to co-host events at the Statehouse throughout the legislative  session for activists to become familiar with the Statehouse & legislative process, take action on active  issues, meet with representatives, or testify about issues impacting them.  

Amicus in Land Use Cases: It can be helpful in land use disputes for courts to hear from advocacy groups  and others about the laws and policies affected. Rural Vermont was denied the right to file an “Amicus brief”  in early 2023 during a member’s Accessory On-Farm Business case regarding an Act 250 permit. In 2024, we’re spearheading legislation to clarify the ability to file amicus briefs in land use cases in law.  

Monitoring/Researching/Nascent Issues: We’ll continue watchdogging at the Statehouse for issues that  are relevant to our community. We are further exploring: the sale of uninspected parted poultry, revising “cottage” food production laws, protecting the farming community from potentially harmful ordinances,  equitable taxation, scale appropriate regulations for meat processing licensure, & more. 

Farm To Plate: We’ll continue our seat on the Farm to Plate Steering Committee & participation in a number  of groups within its new organizational structure, including: the Policy Priority Strategy Team (co-creating a  “policy roadmap”), Meat Slaughter & Processing Priority Strategy Team, the Food Cycle Coalition, & more. 

Rural Vermont
A Just Transition Away from Neonicotinoid Pesticides

Rural VT has worked alongside many other organizations for a number of years to reduce and limit the use and impacts of neonicotinoid pesticides (“neonics”) - while supporting producers who are currently using these seeds and products in transition.  

In 2019 we worked with a coalition of organizations (the VT Pesticide Coalition) on H.205 (Act 35) to make neonic products (other than treated seeds) “restricted use” - meaning they were effectively taken off store shelves, and only could be applied by a licensed applicator.  In 2020, this coalition planned on working on legislation addressing treated seeds - however the advent of the Covid 19 pandemic brought other priorities forth.  

In 2021, we again worked alongside others to bring more accountability to the Vermont Pesticide Advisory Council (the body functionally recommending how to regulate pesticides in VT at the time).  The legislature instead created a new entity in H.434 to replace VPAC - the Agricultural Innovation Board, whose duties go beyond VPAC’s to include plastics and other toxics - and we worked to address the make-up of the board and its charges.  

In 2022, we again advocated in relationship to a bill (H.626 or Act 145) we did not know had been drafted which originally sought to transition away from the prophylactic use of neonic treated seed over a few years; however, it was rewritten in committee to task the Agricultural Innovation Board with a number of tasks and legislative reports, including: requiring the Agency of Agriculture, in consultation with the AIB, to adopt by rule BMPs for the use of neonicotinoid treated seeds;  requiring the Sec. of Agriculture to, “work with farmers, seed companies, and other relevant parties to ensure that farmers have access to appropriate varieties and amounts of untreated seed or treated seed that are not neonicotinoid treated article seeds”; a new program of monitoring managed pollinator health and developing benchmarks associated with it;  requiring the Agency and AIB submit their proposed rules to the Agriculture Committees and General Assembly in 2024, and in the case of BMPs for all treated article seed (as opposed to neonics alone) to the Ag Committees by February 15, 2023; among other things. 

Now, in 2023, we are a member of the “Protect our Pollinators” coalition which is working towards legislation which will further reduce and restrict the use of neonicotinoids in the environment, including phasing out the use of neonicotinoid treated seeds in VT, while advocating for the support needed for farmers to transition.  Currently, an overwhelming majority of corn seed (by some estimates, app. 99%) used in Vermont is treated with neonicotinoid pesticides and used prophylactically by farmers - but research shows that they rarely (in app. 10% of cases) provide an economic or agronomic benefit for farmers, namely during times with high pest pressure.  They also have significant detrimental impacts to insects, birds, and mammals - and can persist in the environment for years.  We have for many years now seen precedent for this type of policy set in places like the European Union, Ontario, and Quebec, and in 2022 the state of New York passed a bill that is awaiting the Governor’s signature.  

Please visit the coalition website to sign our petition calling for phase out of neonicotinoid treated seeds and a just transition for farmers!  We’ll keep you up to date on the campaign as it develops!


Rural VermontPesticides
Protect Our Soils Coalition Comments on Depack Permit Renewal

Securing decentralized waste streams of strictly source separated organics of food residuals is a central goal of the Protect Our Soils Coalition (POSC). Through submitting public comments as a coalition on the draft permit renewal for the depackaging facility in Williston Vermont, Rural Vermont advocates for depack to only be used for heavily packaged materials that have not been source separated. Valuable clean organic resources should instead be managed in agricultural use or in available and existing community composting systems!

Read POSC comments here.

See draft permit here.


Rural VermontPES
July 19th Rule Change Makes it Harder to Manufacture Farm Fresh Cannabis Products…For Now

On July 19, 2023, the CCB passed an 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.   At the time, the CCB named administrative shortcomings (staffing shortages) as the driver behind the rule revision. Due to the CCB’s inability to adapt to limited agency capacity, Rural Vermont and allies asked for public comment to be submitted asking the CCB to follow through with the legislative intent of Act 65 (to increase the competitiveness and marketability of value-added cannabis products). We also asked 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. 

The proposed rule change was adopted at the 7/19 board meeting ( view the 7/19 meeting) . The CCB, at this time, notes that, in the future, this issue will likely be revisited. Currently, they do not have the staff or capacity to monitor, enforce, or regulate these products, and at this time, staffing, cooperation and collaboration between the CCB, Dept. of Health, and the Agency of Ag is lacking. 

Given the significant tax revenue generated by this sector of Vermont’s economy, we feel confident that the funding and oversight needed for an effective regulatory apparatus will evolve. On behalf of Vermont’s cannabis cultivators, retailers, processors, and manufacturers, we look forward to continuing our advocacy in 2024 - encouraging the work outlined in Act 65 to be done well and effectively.  We will continue to let the vision of an equitable, viable, and robust Vermont cannabis marketplace that benefits all Vermonters guide our work. 

The accepted changes read:

2.2.4 Health, Safety, and Sanitation

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

Rural Vermont
New Strategy in D.C. to Protect On-Farm Slaughter laws

After months of promoting our On-Farm Slaughter campaign in D.C. neither the Vermont delegation nor other members of Congress are willing to spearhead the needed clarification in the Federal Meat Inspection Act that on-farm slaughter is legal at the moment. Our coalition recognizes that the issue is new to many, even to those who are invested in advancing meat processing issues. Together we now approach the campaign with what’s a common ground goal of many - to better protect state meat inspection programs from arbitrary USDA actions. 

Learn more about the background of this campaign here

Read the new factsheet here

Contact caroline@ruralvermont.org with your questions and comments


Rural VermontOFS
Final End-of-Session Recap 06.26.23

This final update (after the one-day veto override session on June 20th of the 2023 legislative session) aims to go beyond status updates on the Governor's vetoes but summarizes key takeaways from all bills passed by the General Assembly that we flag as relevant to agrarian communities. For the first time ever, we are also providing an audio recording of the whole thing so that you can listen in while tending to other stuff on and off the farm as well.

We celebrate important gains alongside the Cannabis Equity Coalition for the agricultural status of outdoor producers, for the establishment of cannabis nurseries, the ability for producers to resale products they had manufactured and more. We welcome any feedback about the writeup and recording and will do our best to answer any legislative questions you might have - feel free to reach out to caroline@ruralvermont.org.

Read on or tune in to learn all about the 2023 changes that become Vermont law and are relevant for many farming families' work and lives.  

TABLE OF CONTENTS

H. 270 (now Act 65) - Miscellaneous Cannabis Bill

H. 494 - The Budget

H. 472 (now Act 73) - An act relating to miscellaneous agricultural subjects

S. 115 (now Act 42) - An act relating to miscellaneous agricultural subjects

S. 5 (now Act 18) - An act relating to affordably meeting the mandated greenhouse gas reductions for the thermal sector through efficiency, weatherization measures, electrification, and decarbonization

H. 126 (now Act 59) - Community Resilience and Biodiversity Protection

S. 100 (Act 47) Development bill, so-called Home Act

H. 217 - Childcare

S. 135 (now Act 35)- VT Saves Establishes Mandatory Retirement Plans for Businesses w. 5+ Employees

H. 165 (now Act 64) - Universal School Meals

H. 270 (now Act 65) - Miscellaneous Cannabis Bill

LINK: https://legislature.vermont.gov/bill/status/2024/H.270

Final Status: The Governor allowed H. 270 to become law without his signature (Governor’s letter).

Key Takeaways: The Governor reasoned not signing H. 270 into law with a critique of the Cannabis Control Boards (CCB) 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.”

This law provides important achievements from our coalition's original priorities (Cannabis Equity Coalition priorities). 

  • It includes numerous aspects of agricultural status to outdoor producers as perhaps its most significant and consequential outcome. Specifically, treating all outdoor cannabis growing operations as agriculture would prohibit local ordinances from regulating them as public nuisances or through local zoning different from other agriculture. 

  • It allows cannabis producers to take back into their possession for resale products which they contracted manufacturers to produce from their plants.

  • It funds its existing social equity program w. $500K (the Cannabis Business Development Fund), and though it makes no direct investments in community members harmed, or communities disproportionately harmed, we did get a study included which will work to develop data by which we can inform the development of a program like this. 

  • It includes a new propagation license that allows for the establishment of cannabis nurseries that serve cultivators in Vermont (though it does not allow for direct sales of plants to the public for license holders)

  • It increases the number of plants allowed for caregivers and the ability for a caregiver to have 2 patients (among some other very limited improvements to the medical program)

  • It raises the income threshold for Tier 1 manufactures from $10k to $50k

H. 494 - the Budget

LINK: https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2024/Docs/BILLS/H-0494/H-0494%20As%20Passed%20by%20Both%20House%20and%20Senate%20Unofficial.pdf

Final status: The budget was vetoed May 27 (veto letter here) and has been overridden on June 20 without changes so that all agriculture relevant budget items remain unchanged.
Key Takeaways:

  • Protests accompanied the beginning of the veto sessio on the House floor and demanded lawmakers to take action to address the humanitarian crisis of people unsheltered in Vermont and to secure housing for those who just lost their state-sponsored motel housing on June 1st and June 15th and for those just about to be removed from the program on July 1st (VTDigger). Almost 3,000 people, including about 700 children, are affected, making Vermont have one of the highest per capita rates of homelessness in the United States. End Homelessness VT is a group of community volunteers and is currently working to allocate resources to assist people - more info here and on VTDigger here and here.

    • The House amended the Senate version of H. 171 in an effort to revoke some of the harm occurring by the rollout of an end to the motel program by the legislature. The change requires the Agency of Human Services to keep the motel program in place until alternate stable settings can be identified between now and April 1, 2024. VTDigger reported that this relevant extension would exclude those already evicted in June and that would include many with an immediate need for medical care (more here).

    • Indeed, Sec. 6 of the amendment describes: “Not later than April 1, 2024, the Agency of Human Services, directly or through its community partners, shall assist in finding or offer to each household housed as of June 30, 2023 [emphasis added] in a hotel or motel through the pandemic-era General Assistance Emergency Housing Program an alternative housing placement, unless a household secures its own housing placement.”

    • The budget as passed included $50 million for the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board to build housing, of which $10 million would be for shelter expansions and homes for those experiencing homelessness. Another $10 million aimed to get grants to landlords to get vacant and derelict units back online through the Vermont Housing Improvement Program

  • One time Working Lands Enterprise Grant Program: 1M stayed unchanged despite the request from Governor Scot and VAAFM to increase funding to $4M (see press release here)

  • New Ag Development Program: passed with $2.3M appropriation for grants for the meat, maple and produce sectors and grantees in the produce sector will not include hydroponic operations. Secretary Tebbetts and the Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets originally requested $10M for this program 

  • Land Access and Opportunity Board: $1.2M base funding for the board to continue its work

  • Organic Dairy Relief: One-time $6.9M to help carry Vermont’s organic dairies through the year.  Organic farmers who were shipping milk in 2022 will get approx. $5/hundredweight of milk shipped to compensate for nightmarish economic circumstances.

  • Conservation Districts: advocacy to increase base funding for Conservation Districts through VAAFM secured additional $250K to now $612K total. The Conservation Districts started to work on a process to re-write their enabling statute, the Soil Health Restoration Act. Get in touch with your local District Manager or Board of Supervisors to engage with your ideas for how to revitalize local governance and support for land managers and habitat restoration through Conservation Districts.

  • New! Small Farmer Diversification and Transition Program: One-time VAAFM funding reduced from $350K to $150K

    • Takeaways: 

      • aims to support small farmers to transition and diversify their operation w. easy access grants of up to 15K

      • Definition of “small farmer” in this bill refers to any small farm that’s subject to the Required Agricultural Practices

      • Grants would be used for (1) farm diversification, (2) transitioning farm type, (3) on-farm processing, or (4) add on-farm accessory businesses.

      • Criteria for grant applications for advancing accessory on farm businesses, farm stands or farm stores include 50% of the annual sales from these business venues need to be from farm products 

      • Securing meaningful additional funds for agricultural programming is hard - as the reduction of this program to 150K from the desired 500K shows, also with an eye to the underfunded Working Lands program. Rural Vermont and allies stressed early on this session (during Small Farm Action Day in February) for lawmakers to look into addressing shortfalls of existing programs with a goal to improve their accessibility and ability to meet on-the-ground needs. We still believe looking into reforming existing programs to address shortfalls is necessary - as pre-existing shortfalls like competitiveness and oversubscription will reoccur with this new pilot. 

H. 472 (now Act 73) - An act relating to miscellaneous agricultural subjects

LINK: https://legislature.vermont.gov/bill/status/2024/H.472

Final Status: Signed June 19, 2023

Key Takeaways:

  • This bill makes many small technical changes to statutes related to meat processing, bees and apiaries, and agency regulation of nurseries and pests. 

    • Most of these changes are semantic or insignificant, but the bill does create a new grant program for agricultural fairs and makes changes to apiary registration rules that will be impactful.

  • Changes to the state’s bee and apiary legislation are intended to bring the statute into alignment with existing agency practices and policy

    • Change to inspection of bees within 45 days prior to any sale instead of requiring one summertime inspection. 

      • The agency already does inspections within the 45 days prior to selling bees to allow for inspections just before the spring sales of bees, instead of in the annual cycle before the distribution of many hives.

      • This might require more inspections for those selling bees throughout the season.

    • Beekeepers near borders will likely need more import permits for moving apiaries in and out of state (see Section 14 of the bill)

      • Bees that are transported out of Vermont for less than 75 miles away for 30 days or less would require an import permit

      • There is no import permit required for bees just traveling through Vermont to another destination though that information is now required on the annual report

    • Changes to the annual report required by VAAFM include 

      • No report on prospective changes to whether the location of an apiary will change in two weeks of report submission 

      • New requirement to report bees, colonies and equipment that are just passing through the state

S. 115 (now Act 42) - An act relating to miscellaneous agricultural subjects

LINK: https://legislature.vermont.gov/bill/status/2024/S.115

Final Status: Signed into law Jun 1, 2023

Key Takeaways:

  • Unsafe Dairy Products. VAAFM has the authority to quarantine dairy cows that are suspected of producing unsafe milk or other dairy products because they are suspected of having been exposed to biological or chemical agents that may cause adulteration; 

  • Requirements for the sale and marketing of eggs. Current rules date back to Act 149 (1973) and are online here; the new rules clarify and tighten enforcement rules and add the explicit prohibition into state law to not advertise or label eggs in a false and misleading manner or to sell, offer for sale, deliver, or donate eggs that are adulterated. Previously, this was subject to the more general Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. VAAFM issues a written warning before determining a violation, especially before issuing a cease and desist order. Those affected have 15 days to request a hearing. Penalties for violations have been increased from max. 1K to max. 5K per penalty. But the law counts every day a violation continues as a new distinct offense, and did so in the past, so that the maximum total dollar amount for penalties was increased from $25K to $50K.

  • Stormwater management on farms. This bill prohibits municipalities from assessing stormwater fees on farms on the basis that the state currently handles agricultural stormwater, with a goal to avoid that farms in some towns are being double-penalized. 

    • The final version of this law does not include the issuance of a report to further assess impacts of potential stormwater management changes for municipalities. VAAFM staff succeeded to oppose municipalities getting into a farms stormwater management (more on VT Digger 4/25)

S. 5 (now Act 18) - An act relating to affordably meeting the mandated greenhouse gas reductions for the thermal sector through efficiency, weatherization measures, electrification, and decarbonization

LINK: https://legislature.vermont.gov/bill/status/2024/S.5

Final Status: House and Senate did override the Governor’s veto so that S.5 became law

Key Takeaways:

  • Rural Vermont endorsed advocacy led by 350VT, Vermonters for a Clean Environment and other organizations and advocates in demanding that the Affordable Heating Act should have removed clean heat credits for biomass, liquid biofuels and ‘renewable’ natural gas as they are ineffective at reducing GHGs but rather further institutionalize unlimited growth - in a green umbrella  - at the cost of converting forests and agricultural lands to industrial scale fuel production, further threatening biodiversity and clean water.

  • Rulemaking and implementation planning will provide opportunities for public engagement. 

H. 126 (now Act 59) - Community Resilience and Biodiversity Protection

LINK: https://legislature.vermont.gov/bill/status/2024/H.126

Final Status: Passed into law without the Governor’s signature on June 12.

Key Takeaways:

  • Mandates conservation goals for Vermont in alignment with federal and international “30 by 30” initiatives with a goal to conserve 30% of Vermont by 2030, and 50% by 2050.

  • The conservation vision for Vermont is inclusive of working farms and forests and is articulated as follows: “The vision of the State of Vermont is to maintain an ecologically functional landscape that sustains biodiversity, maintains landscape connectivity, supports watershed health, promotes climate resilience, supports working farms and forests, provides opportunities for recreation and appreciation of the natural world, and supports the historic settlement pattern of compact villages surrounded by rural lands and natural areas.”

  • Defines “sustainable land management” as “the stewardship and use of forests and forestlands, grasslands, wetlands, riparian areas, and other lands, including the types of agricultural lands that support biodiversity, in a way, and at a rate, that maintains or restores their biodiversity, productivity, regeneration capacity, vitality, and their potential to fulfill, now and in the future, relevant ecological, economic, and social functions at local, State, and regional levels, and that does not degrade ecosystem function.”

  • Includes a review of conservation categories and how they apply to agriculture in a to be developed Conservation Plan by VHCB and the Secretary of Natural Resources 

    • Agricultural goals include to inform a comprehensive strategy towards conserving agricultural land that would “enhancing the State of Vermont’s current investments and commitments to working lands enterprises, rural landowners, and the broad conservation mission implemented by the Secretary and VHCB, including conservation of agricultural land, working forests, historic properties,  recreational lands, and surface waters.”

    • Types of agricultural lands that will qualify as supporting and restoring biodiversity will be determined to count towards the Natural Resource Management Area category. 

    • Deadlines:  the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board is developing a review of conservation categories as part of an inventory by July 1, 2024 and is developing a plan to implement the conservation goals by December 31, 2025. The act includes the mandate to conduct 12 or more public meetings on the plan development between July 2023 and December 2025. 

    • The inventory should also include an analysis of how existing programs will be used to meet the conservation goals and if new programs will be needed. 

  • Part of the conservation goals is also to prioritize ecological reserve areas to protect priority natural communities and maintain or restore old forests. 

  • Includes an appropriation of $150K for the development of the related statewide conservation plan. The conservation plan development is led by the Secretary of Natural Resources; involvement of the Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets is not a formal part of the legislation.

S. 100 (Act 47) Development bill, so-called Home Act 

LINK: https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2024/Docs/ACTS/ACT047/ACT047%20As%20Enacted.pdf

Final Status: signed into law June 5, 2023

Key Takeaways: this bill modernizes zoning and land use regulation in Act 250  to allow for higher density development like the new construction of duplexes or the rehabilitation of housing units to address the housing crisis with a prioritization of the development of areas that already have sewer and water services. Changes include:

  • Statewide Housing Needs Assessment - Regional planning commissions will inform the Department of Housing and Community Developments estimates on housing needs with  a goal to establish statewide and regional housing targets. Their plans should use data on year-round and seasonal dwellings and include specific actions to address the housing needs of persons with low income and persons with moderate income.

    • Rural Vermont recommends planning commissions to understand the Home Act in concert with the Community Resilience and Biodiversity Protection Act that expresses support for “the historic settlement pattern of compact villages surrounded by rural lands and natural areas” as part of the conservation vision for Vermont that also expressly envisions support for working lands businesses. Given the impairments that the housing crisis, development of price inflation, and lack of economic viability in agriculture impose on land access for farmers and farmworkers these pieces of legislation should inspire to seek policies that would facilitate land access as part of this development and conservation agenda. We are going to stress this position as part of the Farm to Plate Land Access and Land Use Topic Exchange, in public engagement processes and in dialogue with stakeholders.

    • Stay tuned for more information about the upcoming efforts of the “Vermont Association of Planning and Development Agencies that shall consider new methods of public engagement that promote equity and expand opportunity for meaningful participation by impacted communities in the decisions affecting their physical and social environment.” With that public participation they will craft a report on statutory recommendations by December 15, 2023 (see Section 15).

  • A new prohibited effect of municipal rules might benefit farms who want to develop accessory dwelling units: “criteria for conversion of an existing detached nonresidential building to habitable space for an accessory dwelling unit shall not be more restrictive than the criteria used for a single-family dwelling without an accessory dwelling unit.” (p.2)

    • New definition of “accessory dwelling unit”: means a distinct unit that is clearly subordinate to a single-family dwelling and has facilities and provisions for independent living, including sleeping, food preparation, and sanitation, provided there is compliance with all the following:

(A) the property has sufficient wastewater capacity; and

(B) the unit does not exceed 30 percent of the total habitable floor area of the single-family dwelling or 900 square feet, whichever is greater.

  • Review of potable water and wastewater connection permitting with a goal to identify approaches to reduce administrative burdens and costs, simplify and expedite permitting processes for permit applicants and municipalities (more in Section 25). Recommendations will be presented to the legislature in January 2025.

  • Includes the new middle-income homeownership development program that aims to provide subsidies for new construction or acquisition and substantial rehabilitation of affordable owner-occupied housing for purchase by income-eligible homebuyers.

  • Allows duplexes for year-round residential housing with changes to the definition of “development” and other tweaks to Act 250

  • One parking lot required per residential dwelling unit

  • Efforts to increase compliance with energy codes

  • Without any specifics or deliverables the act includes an expressed intent of the legislature towards the Department of Housing and Community Development to use some of their close to $24M in grant funds to expand home-sharing opportunities (Section 31); $1M is appropriated for their first generation homebuyer program outlined in Section 34. 

H. 217 - Childcare

LINK: https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2024/Docs/BILLS/H-0217/H-0217%20As%20Passed%20by%20Both%20House%20and%20Senate%20Unofficial.pdf

Final Status:  Governor Scot did veto H. 217 6/6/2023 (VTDigger) and, as anticipated, the legislature voted to override the veto 6/20. 

Key Takeaways:

  • H. 217 provides critical financial support for VT families and childcare providers

    • Legislators who voted against H.217 criticized the establishment of a new payroll tax that would add burdens for all Vermonters, regardless of their income status. In response those in support pointed out that for less than $1/week any family would gain access to otherwise unaffordable childcare. 

  • H. 217 increases the bar for co-payments to $52,500 for a family of four to be eligible to receive a full subsidy from the state. It also upgrades the partial subsidies to families who earn up to 575% of the federal poverty level or $172,000 for a family of four (VT Digger).

  • Aims to increase access and quality of child care services

  • Creates a study committee to undertake a stakeholder engagement process and to make recommendations on how to expand prekindergarten education

  • Aims to increase funds and simplify applications to Child Care Financial Assistance Programs 

  • Establishes subsidies for children otherwise not eligible due to citizenship status as part of the Child Care Financial Assistance program 

S. 135 (now Act 35)- VT Saves Establishes Mandatory Retirement Plans for Businesses w. 5+ Employees

LINK: https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2024/Docs/BILLS/S-0135/S-0135%20As%20Passed%20by%20Both%20House%20and%20Senate%20Unofficial.pdf

Final Status: VT Saves was signed into law on Jun 1, 2023.

Key Takeaways: This new law encourages Vermonters to save for retirement. Employers who don’t sponsor their own retirement savings plans for their employees will be required to set up an individual retirement account with the VT State Treasurer for every employee over 18 years of age when they have at least five employees. Employees have the option to opt out of the program. We’re at the beginning of learning how this is going to work for farms and agricultural businesses - feel free to reach out with your questions to caroline@ruralvermont.org and we’re doing our best to help you access the resources and support you need. 

H. 165 (now Act 64) - Universal School Meals

LINK: https://legislature.vermont.gov/bill/status/2024/H.165

Final Status: H. 165 became law without the Governor's signature (Governor’s letter; VTDigger) 

Key Takeaways:

  • Creates a permanent statewide free meals program in perpetuity that will provide free breakfast and lunch to students that qualify

    • In anticipation of a possible veto override, the Governor allowed H. 165 to pass into law without his signature. In his letter, Governor Scott critiqued universal free school meals regardless of a family’s income, noting that the program will fund free meals for even wealthy students: “With H.165, the Legislature has added $20-30 million in property tax pressure to pay for school meals for all students, including those from affluent families. This will be paid for by all Vermonters, including those with low incomes. That's not progressive education funding policy, it's regressive policy that hurts the very families we are trying to help. [...] And I ask the Legislature to rethink this sincere but regressive policy in the future, so working Vermonters are not paying for the meals of families who could better afford it.”

    • In difference, our reading of H. 165 clearly ties eligibility of students for free meals to those meeting standards for assistance under the National School Lunch Act or Child Nutrition Act (see p. 5)

      • The National School Lunch Act defines children eligible for free lunch and breakfast when they are a member of a household receiving SNAP or medicaid; are part of a family that does not exceed 133 percent of the poverty line; are a migratory child as defined in law; are a foster child or homeless (p. 28, 29); 

  • Independent schools are encouraged to opt into the program as well 

  • Appropriation: $29M from the Education Fund to the Agency of Education for fiscal year 2024

  • In the previous years of 2020 and 2021 the program was paid for by federal pandemic aid funds; in 2022 VT then funded the free meal program from surpluses in the education fund.

Rural Vermont
Everyone Deserves a Home

Shelter is a fundamental need for everyone in our community.  As an organization, Rural Vermont believes that communities and governments have the ability, and responsibility, to ensure that our neighbors’ basic needs are met.  Nearly 3,000 people in Vermont, including 500 to 600 children, are in the process of losing their housing right now as the “motel voucher program” ends.  Housing advocates have lobbied and organized throughout the legislative session for adequate funding in the State budget to address these essential needs, but the legislature did not do so and passed a budget creating what housing advocate Brenda Siegel described as a predictable and preventable “humanitarian crisis”.


There is still time for our representatives to act, and there are opportunities for you to get involved supporting people on the ground right now.  


The Governor has vetoed the budget, sending it back to the legislature.  This gives legislators an opportunity to revise the budget and provide the support needed for these members of our communities.  Despite strong opposition from leadership in the House and Senate, there are a number of courageous lawmakers who voted against the budget originally because of the lack of an adequate appropriation to continue to house the people reliant on this program - and many of them have suggested their willingness to vote to sustain the Governor’s veto if the budget is not amended or another solution to keeping all Vermonters sheltered is not made.  These legislators who are willing to stand up to leadership, and stand for meeting people’s essential needs, need your support.  They need to hear from you that their commitment to this is valued, is important, and is worth more than the potential loss of status in the Statehouse that may come from refusing to acquiesce to leadership.  And the rest of the legislature and the administration needs to hear from you:  that a lack of willingness to invest in the basic needs of people is not acceptable, that all people experiencing homelessness are vulnerable, that we must support people newly entering homelessness, and that we cannot exclude anyone who meets Vermont’s definition of disability or restrict our programs and support to only meet the needs of particular categories of people.  Having a safe and secure place to live does not need to be a privilege, and with the percentage of VT’s homeless population increasing - we need to not only take immediate action, but we need to develop a long term plan for meeting the housing needs of the people who live here.


For specific recommendations on how to take action with policymakers (who to contact, thoughts on messaging, etc.) - see this page from End Homelessness Vermont.  

People also need on-the-ground support right now.  We’ve done our best to compile here resources, opportunities, and information for people who want to get involved in supporting these needs:

1. According to housing advocates, there has been some confusion or misrepresentation related to who remains eligible for motel housing through June 30th.  If you are in one of these categories, you continue to be eligible for motel housing through the 30th of June:  

  • SSI/SSDI

  • Pregnant

  • A Victim of Domestic Violence (without hoop jumping)

  • People who have children living with them 

  • People under 18 and over 60. 

2. End Homelessness VT is creating a statewide resource guide.  If you are providing, or would like to provide, services to people in this community, and would like to be listed in this guide, please contribute your information here. 


3. End Homelessness VT is also asking people to sign up to volunteer. Please sign up here to volunteer. If you have any land or space for rent, or to offer to displaced individuals, please let End Homelessness VT know here.

Rural Vermont
Childcare Bill Vetoed - Encourage Your Reps to Override It!

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 from Let’s Grow Kids - 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.

Rural Vermont
End-of-Session Summary 05.22.23


The new House Committee on Agriculture, Food Resiliency and Forestry took the lead on introducing legislation for those sectors this session. Committee members introduced or co-sponsored at least seven relevant bills. Granted, their colleagues on the Senate side secured the organic dairy relief that was in limbo in the Senate at first, and developed the language and secured aspects of agricultural status for outdoor cannabis producers. Here is a status update on which bills that we’ve been monitoring, supporting or informing did and did not pass. 

Stay tuned for an in-depth End-of-Session Recap with key takeaways from bills that passed into law!

Bills that We Anticipate Passing into Law

Please note: the status on the legislative website doesn’t suggest that all of these bills have been delivered to the Governor’s desk yet, so the status below is our take on the bills that were passed by the legislature and might have passed into the Governor’s signature by now given the time lapsed since passage. We will update this overview as needed - you can check the Governor’s Office’s website for action on bills here.

  • S. 56 - An act relating to child care and early childhood education

    • We anticipate it passing into law either without the Governor's signature, or by legislative override of a gubernatorial veto

    • More info —> The House and the Senate passed S.56, a bill with a significant investment in Vermont’s childcare - parents, providers, workers - settling on a payroll tax requested by the Senate to substantially fund it, as opposed to a more progressive taxation plan proposed by the House.  The Governor has stated his concerns about this legislation, and whether or not he vetoes it - we anticipate the legislature having the votes to override the veto, and the legislation passing into law.

  • H. 270 - Miscellaneous Cannabis Bill

    • We anticipate it passing into law with or without the Governor’s signature

    • More info —> H.270 includes numerous aspects of agricultural status to outdoor producers as its most significant and consequential achievements.  The legislation continues to fund its existing social equity program one year at a time, and though it makes no direct investments in community members harmed, or communities disproportionately harmed, we did get a study included which will work to develop data by which we can inform the development of a program like this. 

  • H. 165 - Universal School Meals

    • We anticipate it passing into law either without the Governor’s signature, or by legislative override of a gubernatorial veto

  • S. 115 - An act relating to miscellaneous agricultural subjects

    • We anticipate this passing into law without the Governor's signature or veto

  • H. 472 - An act relating to miscellaneous agricultural subjects

    • We anticipate this passing into law without the Governor's signature or veto

  • H. 494 - Highlights from the Budget as passed

    • One time Working Lands Enterprise Grant program: 1M stayed unchanged

    • New Ag Development Program (Meat/Maple/Produce): passed with 2.3M appropriation for grants for meat, maple processing and produce and grantees should not include hydroponic operations.

    • Land Access and Opportunity Board: base funding of 1.2M included

    • Organic Dairy Relief: One-time 6.9M 

    • New! Small Farmer Diversification and Transition Program: One-time VAAFM funding reduced from 350K to 150K

    • The path of the budget is harder to discern.  If vetoed by the Governor, the legislature may not be able to override a veto unless it is willing to meet the demands of some lawmakers who are fighting for adequate funding to provide needed housing support to close to 3,000 people, including several hundred children, who will be without shelter once a federally funded motel voucher program ends.

Vetoed Bills

  • S. 5 - An act relating to affordably meeting the mandated greenhouse gas reductions for the thermal sector through efficiency, weatherization measures, electrification, and decarbonization

Outlook and Bills that Didn’t Pass

  • H. 66 - Paid Family and Medical Leave Bill

  • H. 81 - Right to Repair

  • H. 368 - An act relating to supporting new farmers, veteran farmers, and farmers who are disadvantaged

  • H. 274 - An act relating to agriculture and nutrition education

  • H.128 - Reducing Act 250 barriers for farm and forestry businesses

Rural Vermont
Final 2023 Legislative Update 05.08.23

End-of-Session Action Alerts

There is a strong push from the legislature to end the legislative session this week, and there are a number of bills which we are monitoring, testifying on, submitting language for, and mobilizing around as the session comes to a close.  This is a time when your voice can have a potentially significant influence on the outcomes of these bills, and issues such as childcare, funding for agricultural grants and programs in the budget (e.g. Working Lands Enterprise Fund, Land Access and Opportunity Board, Small Farm Diversification and Resilience, etc.), agricultural access and social equity in cannabis, and more. This is also a time when we are assessing the likelihood of vetoes from the Governor’s Office - and in the case of Universal School Meals, which has just passed the House and Senate and is moving to the Governor’s desk, this is a time to contact his office urging him to support this bill.  In the Vermont legislature, it remains true that the voices of a relatively small number of constituents reaching out are able to at times make a critical difference.

It takes just 3 steps to pass along your voice on any of these bills and issues!

1. Determine the appropriate policy maker to contact by going HERE:

  • If it’s your Representatives and Senator(s), dial the Sergeant at Arms office at 802-828-2228, and / or find and directly contact your representative by email or phone (directory available here).

  • If it’s the Governor, call his office at 802-828-3333.

2. Leave a message with your name, town, and a short and direct message about the bill and issue which you are speaking to.

3.  Provide information as prompted.

eg.  “I am a constituent of Representative(s) ____________ and Senator(s) ____________ and I would like to leave them the following message: Please pass a ____________ bill this year which (preserves, supports, encourages) _____________. Vermonters are counting on you to pass this bill NOW.”

S.56 - An Act Relating to Child Care and Early Childhood Education

Act now to ensure this important legislation passes!

Update: S.56 is a bill which will make substantial investments in VT's childcare system for providers, workers, and parents - but its passage is hung up in disagreements over how to fund it.  S. 56, was on the Notice Calendar of the House of Representatives on Wednesday, 5/10, (starting at page 3446, and 3499) with a proposed amendment from the House Committee on Human Services and the House Committee on Appropriations. The House will vote Thursday (May 11, 10am) on these proposed amendments and will then vote on whether or not to move the bill back to the Senate to concur to their final version of the bill. The disagreement is over how to fund the additional $120M annual costs of this bill, and the Senate continued their push for financing through an increased payroll tax by adding language to H. 217. The political pressure to adjourn on Friday without additional delay and expenditures is high, so efforts to get S. 56 through this year have been gearing up all week.

Action:  Your voice can literally make a difference on this bill right now.  Tell your representatives that we must pass this bill, and that we must protect the child tax credit of $1,000 per child in disputes over how to fund S.56. This credit is uniquely important to agricultural and rural families who meet their childcare needs in ways adapted to their livelihoods, and in ways which may not meet criteria for other means of financial support. 

H. 270 - Miscellaneous Cannabis Bill

Aspects of Ag Status for Outdoor Cultivators - act for Social Equity!

Update: H.270 has been voted out of the Senate Committee on Finance, after taking testimony from the Vermont Cannabis Equity Coalition (reps from Rural VT and the VT Growers’ Association), and it currently includes the aspects of agricultural status for outdoor cultivators which we have been advocating for. These inclusions will result in significant positive impacts for farmers and outdoor cultivators, and will provide needed clarity for towns and licensees in areas such as municipal regulation and the jurisdiction of Act 250.  In addition, it includes a one-time $500,000 appropriation to the Cannabis Business Development Fund (devoted to supporting Social Equity Licensees) - which falls far short of the base funding from the excise tax which the VT Cannabis Equity Coalition has been pushing for.  Our advocacy for the propagation license to include the sale of immature plants beyond only licensed cultivators and to the general public was not successful - direct sales outside of seed remain entirely centralized to the retail licensees.  A number of medical conditions which the CCB and our coalition requested be added to the registration of eligible conditions were also struck from the original bill.  

Status Update: In response to our coalition’s ask for a portion of the excise tax to fund reinvestment in communities disproportionately impacted by, and individuals impacted by, the criminalization of cannabis - we were asked for data and information clarifying who these communities and individuals are, and what types of impacts and reinvestment may be needed.  We are currently working with Sen. Vihovsky and other members of the Senate to have language included in the bill which would ask for research and a report from the Racial Disparities in the Criminal and Juvenile Justice System Advisory Panel which would deliver responses to these questions by January, 2024.

Action:  Contact your representatives now using the 3 steps outlined above and ask them to support H.270 and the proposed amendment calling for a report about how the criminalization of cannabis impacted communities and individuals in VT and how to address repairing these harms.

H. 165 - Universal School Meals

Senate added 29M in funds back into the bill, House concurred - let the Governor know you support this bill!

Update: The legislature approves indefinite Universal School Meals as worked out by the House Committee on Agriculture, Food Resilience and Forestry that would provide free breakfast and lunch to all students at Vermont public schools that are meeting standards for assistance under the National School Lunch Act. Independent schools are encouraged to opt into the program as well. Without many changes along the way, the Senate proposed in its final stages to include the appropriation of 29M from the Education Fund for the program explicitly back into the bill directly (it was in the budget). The same amount had been approved in 2022 with Act 151 (JFO Report from Feb 1, 2023). The money from the Education Fund comes from a variety of sources, including from lottery, property tax, sales and use tax, meals and rooms tax, and medicaid reimbursement funds. A large percentage of the total funding will come from property tax payers in a rate that might be adjusted within the mechanisms of the Education fund. Representative Rice referenced a figure that approximately 3 percent property tax increase might be needed to fully fund Universal School Meals. It would pay for the significant increase in students that will become eligible for free and reduced price school meals. The Joint Fiscal Office stated during a hearing with the House Committee on Agriculture, Food Resilience and Forestry earlier this week that there’s approximately surplus of 64M dollars currently not allocated already in the Education Fund so that it’s unclear exactly how much the property taxes might increase. In November 2022, 40% of students were eating breakfast and 60% were eating lunch at school - the highest rate of participation ever documented in Vermont - according to Hunger Free Vermont. In addition, federal funding of up to 6M dollars is likely going to expand free after school and summer meal programs. Hunger Free Vermont gave credit to the positive trajectory the development of the state's program is taking and called it “an opportunity to really eliminate child hunger in every county in Vermont.” 

Status: VTDigger reported that the Governor opposes the permanent installment of Universal School Meals and that Phil Scott “remains concerned that the bill would increase property tax pressure, and therefore potentially rents. [...] This approach could disproportionately impact lower income Vermonters in order to essentially provide affluent families support that they do not need.”  The buzz in the State House predicts that he will veto this bill so that the final say will likely be spoken at a veto session. 

More info: see the latest JFO Report on Possible Revenue Sources from February 1, 2023; VT Digger from May 5, 2023

Action: Contact the Governor!

1. Dial the Governor’s office at 802 828-3333

2. Leave a message for Governor Phil Scott urging him to allow the Universal School Meals bill to pass into law.

3.  Provide information as prompted.

eg.  “I am ____________ and I would like to leave Governor Scott  the following message: Please allow Universal School Meals to pass into law and end child hunger in every county in Vermont. Vermonters are counting on you to approve of this bill NOW.”

H. 66 Paid Leave Bill

Legislature aims to postpone the comprehensive paid leave bill

Update: The Vermont General Assembly has decided to postpone the work of passing H. 66, the Paid Leave bill, onto 2024. Senators had expressed concerns about passing a comprehensive paid family leave bill alongside the childcare reforms included in S. 56 in the same year. As you know, bills that have been introduced in the first year of a biennium are still able to be acted on in the second year of a biennium.That means the paid leave bill H. 66 will not need to be reintroduced or to have the whole process started from scratch. 

More info: bill website here; more political background on pending legislation at VTDigger most recently here and previously here; VPR here. VTDigger article about a voluntary paid family and medical leave plan created by the Scott administration here.

H. 205 - Small Farmer Diversification and Transition Program

Update: The bill that aims to support small producers to transition and diversify their operation got further reduced in its one-time funding for VAAFM to pilot a Small Farm Diversification program from 350K to 150K. 

Status: This bill is still in Senate Appropriations, it has not been voted out of committee and is not on the notice calendar to hit the Senate floor for second and third reading this week. With that, chances diminished to see this new program pass into law this year.

More info: bill website here

H. 126 - Community Resilience and Biodiversity Protection

Status Update: The 30x30/ 50x50 conservation legislation passed in concurrence with Senate Proposal of Amendment. This bill is also likely going to be vetoed by the Governor like similar legislation did in the previous year. Stay tuned for our End-of-Session recap that’s coming out soon for more details on the latest changes in the final version of the bill.

Action: Contact the Governor!

1. Dial the Governor’s office at 802 828-3333

2. Leave a message for Governor Phil Scott urging him to allow the Universal School Meals bill to pass into law

3.  Provide information as prompted.

eg.  “I am ____________ and I would like to leave Governor Scott  the following message: Please allow the Community Resilience and Biodiversity Protection bill to pass into law and advance important conservation goals in Vermont. Vermonters are counting on you to approve of this bill NOW.”

H. 81 - Right to Repair

Status Update: A positive signal is that H. 81 got passed by the House and was referred to the Senate Committee on Rules. This bill will not pass this year but has good chances to pass within the biennium. 

More info: legislative website here

Budget Items

Status Update: A Committee of Conference met since last week to mitigate House and Senate versions of the Big Bill, the FY 2024 Budget of H. 494. Today marks the last chance to voice your concerns before the legislature probably adjourns on Friday about any of the recent changes on relevant budget items (e.g. Working Lands Enterprise Fund, Land Access and Opportunity Board, Small Farm Diversification and Resilience, etc.). All budget items relevant to agriculture have been unchanged or reduced rather than increased as proposed by legislators, the administration or advocates earlier this session. Positive is that the Organic Dairy Relief had been included in the budget. Find instructions on how to send a message to your legislator in the intro at the top. 

The documentation of the Committee of Conference is hard to follow online and we had some issues piecing together all the pieces. Here’s an itemized summary of the latest of what we know (not final):

  • One time Working Lands: 1M stayed unchanged

  • New Ag Development Program (Meat/Maple/Produce): reduced by Senate to 2,3M vs 5M that passed the House and the 10M proposed by administration

  • Land Access and Opportunity Board: Senate added Section E.811 (p. 241 here) that would charge a report to assess for the LAOB to be attached to the VHCB or another entity for administrative purposes in the future. We are unclear about the latest status of the LAOB funding request that previously had been included at base funding of $1.2M.

  • Conservation Districts: One-time 1M  got reduced to 250K and moved to be a base funding item

  • Organic Dairy Relief: One-time 6.9M included in Senate version

Small Farm Diversification: One-time VAAFM funding reduced from 350K to 150K

Rural Vermont
Legislative Update 04.24.23

This year's legislative session is nearing completion with the second week of May marking the current target to adjourn. In this week's update, we focus on bills that intersect with agriculture that we haven’t written about much before, namely the childcare and paid leave bill. We’re also including a head’s up about more new legislation that got some initial attention prior to the 2024 session. Most importantly, there’s a few updates that come with a last minute action alert. Stay tuned for the full end-of-session update with a comprehensive overview coming up soon!

Intersectional Highlights

Access to physical and mental health care and child care are directly connected to farm viability and quality of life. Rural Vermont recognizes that our advocacy to advance and the viability and diversity of and on farms intersects with the ability of those working on farms to meet their basic needs. That also includes all the issues around housing so that we use the opportunity here to share info about an open comment period to the Housing and Urban Development plan that guides relevant decision making in that realm. 

S. 56 - Childcare Bill

Update: This bill aims to increase access and quality of child care services. It creates a study committee to undertake a stakeholder engagement process and to make recommendations on how to expand prekindergarten education. It aims to increase funds and simplify applications to Child Care Financial Assistance Programs and also establishes noncitizen assistance as part of the program to provide subsidies for children otherwise not eligible due to citizenship status. Furthermore it would codify a parental leave benefit program for a maximum period of 12 weeks per family during the year following birth or adoption. The 12 weeks worth of benefits may be shared between two parents or used by one parent in full.  

S. 56 passed the Senate and just passed the House Committee on Education 4/26 with some amendments. Next station for this bill is the House Ways and Means Committee.

More info: House Committee on Education amendments draft 2.1 here; bill website here; contact representatives that now work on the bill in House Ways and Means here.

H. 66 - Paid family and Medical Leave Bill - Action Alert!

Update: This legislation promises support for tens of thousands of family caregivers that help their parents, spouses, and other loved ones at home by allowing them to continue to earn their pay as employees while taking time away from work to provide that care. While the final details are still being worked out in committee, the House’s proposal suggested funding through a payroll tax of .55% paid at least in half by employers. This would also affect anyone self-employed. The total benefit amount would depend on the length of the leave and the individual's pay rate. The bill capped the pay at the state weekly average wage of about $1,100. Please do reach out to caroline@ruralvermont.org with your thoughts and comments on this legislation.  

More info: Take Action here; bill website here

Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Consolidated Plan - Action Alert!

Update: Not a piece of legislation but an important baseline for various decisions around spendings from the federal CARES Act to increase the supply and quality of affordable housing is the so-called Consolidated Plan. The 5-year strategic plan is being realized through Annual Action Plans that describe one-year goals and programmatic changes. We recognize that farms have various kinds of housing and land access issues and highlight that the plan mentions the need for greater availability of housing units affordable for farm workers as an underserved need and a priority housing goal (see p. 112 & 179 of the plan). Speak up and provide public comment in support of the farm housing repair grant program at UVM and Champlain Housing Trust and for funds to be leveraged to improve housing on farms.

More info: official website here. Take Action! The Annual HUD Action Plan is open for comments by Wednesday, May 3, 2023, email your comments to arthur.hamlin@vermont.gov  

New Initiatives

H.128 - Reducing Act 250 Barriers for Farm and Forestry Businesses

Update: An initiative representatives started to learn about in preview of the 2024 session is H.128, An act relating to removing regulatory barriers for working lands businesses. This bill seeks to amend Act 250 definitions around Accessory on Farm Businesses as well as relating to the development of forestry businesses. The purpose of this initiative from the rural caucus is to allow working lands businesses to grow vs costing them a lot of time and money with Act 250 permitting. This would benefit for example small sawmills that currently aren’t Act 250 exempt like logging businesses. Similarly, farming is Act 250 exempt but accessory on farm businesses are not - this bill seeks to change that. 

More info: bill website  

Soil Health Restoration Act Rewrite

Update: The Conservation Districts keep making strides in modernizing their institution with both, increasing their funding as well as planning to take a deep dive into their enabling legislation in the second half of this biennium. Conservation Districts work with landowners to implement conservation projects in various ways. Currently, the one-time funding of $1M included in the House FY24 Budget would cover core services, specialist training, outreach, compensation for boards of supervisors, equipment and facility upgrades as well as leadership and capacity development. 

Good to know! The current enabling statute allows conservation districts to adopt rules governing the use of lands within their district in the interest of conserving soil, controlling soil and stream bank erosion, and promoting conservation of natural resources and drainage. The antiquated provision hasn’t been acted upon in a long time (ever?) but it theoretically allows for hyper local soil health grassroots policy initiatives to petition their district's board of supervisors. 

More info: Recent letter to Senate Approps here; Read the Soil Conservation Act here; Find your Conservation Districts contact info here

Updates

Cannabis

Update:  We had some very positive amendments to H.270 drafted in the Senate Agriculture Committee over the past 2 weeks.  The Committee, with the support of our coalition and Legislative Council, did our best to craft language which would have outdoor cannabis cultivators and cultivation treated in the same manner as agriculture in VT, including: taxation status, value use appraisal qualification (“current use”), exemption from municipal governance, exemption from Act 250 oversight, and provision of the nuisance protections included in the “Right to Farm” statute.  

These amendments were considered in the Senate Economic Development Committee, and Rural VT and the Green Mtn. Patients’ Alliance were able to provide testimony on these amendments and additional changes we seek, on Wednesday, April 26th (our testimony begins at approximately 1:03 into the recording).  Additional proposed amendments were also heard from the Cannabis Control Board and the Senate Health and Welfare Committee.

Unfortunately, the Committee was largely unwilling to address our other concerns and proposed amendments, with a couple caveats.  

  • Social Equity: They have not included language inclusive of long term funding from the excise tax, or otherwise, for the Cannabis Development Fund (serving Social Equity Licensees) - but have included a one-time appropriation to replenish the fund.  We heard from Brynn Hare (CCB) in her testimony that there was a greater need for funding in this first year than the program could afford to support.  More concerning, there continues to be no money or resources from the regulated cannabis economy going towards reinvestment and repair in communities which have been disproportionately harmed by the criminalization of cannabis.    The only potential silver lining here is that although Vice Chair Clarkson was unwilling to consider our proposal given her understanding of this as a “housekeeping bill”, she insisted that this was important and that it would be addressed next session, in the second half of the biennium.

  • Propagation License: The Committee, after hearing opposition from the CCB, was unwilling to support our expansion of the allowance of direct sales of seed to the public, to include the direct sale of immature plants (“starts”) as well.  It was likewise unwilling to consider our recommendations that smaller scales of cultivators be provided this allowance without an additional license.  The CCB’s stance on this is disappointing and their continued efforts to further centralize access for the public to retail licensees under the name of control is in direct opposition to principles and outcomes of market equity and decentralization of power, genetics, and wealth generation.

  • Medical: The Committee was not conclusive on its stance in relationship to our medical proposals. We expect to learn more soon - though we are not very hopeful given the significant bias this plant and people who seek to use it medically continue to receive from many policymakers.

  • Equitable Consumption:  We were able to provide some education to committee members with respect to the extreme limitations on legal places for people to actually consume cannabis - and how this is largely dependent upon one’s social economic status and ability to own one’s own home or property.  However, the committee deferred taking action this year.

    H.270 will be in Sen. Economic Development throughout this week, and potentially voted out before the end of the week.  There have been some concerns expressed in relationship to the agricultural exemptions, and though it appears they will likely make it out of Senate Economic Development intact, they will face the threat of removal or compromise in the Senate Finance Committee (where the bill heads next) based on some of the concerns expressed by Sen. Ann Cummings, who Chairs Senate Finance, in the Economic Development Committee.  Rural Vermont will be providing testimony in the House Agriculture Committee on H.270 this Friday April 28th by invitation, and our coalition has also submitted our names for testimony once the bill reaches the Senate Finance Committee.  Depending on the level of disagreement in committee about the bill, it may or may not continue on to other committees - such as Sen. Government Operations.

  • More Info: This continues to be an important time to reach out to the your representatives about this issue, and about this bill.  You can also direct your attention to members of the Senate Finance Committee, and the Senate Committee on Economic Development, Housing, and General Affairs.

H.205 - Small Farmer Diversification and Transition Program

Update: This bill aims to support small producers to transition and diversify their operation. The test-run for this new program was equipped with a lowered appropriation in one-time funds of $350K by the House which would allow approx. 22 farms to access the grants capped at 15K.  While the goal of the legislation is to offer aid to small farms with low bureaucratic entry barriers, competitiveness and oversubscription will remain issues in accessing these funds. 

The Senate Committee on Agriculture rewrote the bill that is currently waiting for consideration by the Senate Appropriations Committee. The unanimous vote in favor of draft 5.1 from 4/13 suggests to couch the new program within the supervision of the Working Lands Enterprise Board instead of within the Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets. The Senate Committee on Agriculture also added more specific criteria to grant applications for advancing accessory on farm businesses, farm stands or farm stores - 50% of the annual sales from these business venues need to be from farm products. Presumably, such requirements add entry barriers to develop such venues though adding bureaucratic burdens that would need to be provided in some form of record for related applications. Furthermore the new draft simplifies the definition of “small farmer” to refer to any small farm that’s subject to the Required Agricultural Practices. 

More info: Draft 5.1 from 4/13; VT Digger Article 4/23

H.81 - Right to Repair - Action Alert!

Update: Right to Repair has moved from House Agriculture to the House Committee on Commerce and Economic Development where it is being discussed several times this week with a possible vote on the agenda for Friday before noon (right after the floor session of the morning). Would your farm benefit from easier access to the tools needed for equipment owners and repair shops to fix their agricultural equipment? Let the committee know that you are in favor of moving this bill forward!

More info: committee agenda and youtube link here; contact info of committee members here

H.126 - Community Resilience and Biodiversity Protection

Update: The Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Energy favored an amendment to the bill that, among other things, would specify further what the House included in the bill in terms of reviewing the conservation categories and how they apply to agriculture. Specifically, types of agricultural lands that will qualify as supporting and restoring biodiversity should count towards the natural resource management area category. They also included an appropriation of $150K for the development of the related statewide conservation plan. The bill is now in the Senate Committee on Appropriations.

More info: SNR draft here

H.165 - Universal School Meals

Update: the bill has been moved to Senate Appropriations over a week ago where it's been stuck in the pipeline for consideration. Stay tuned on the committee website for next week's agenda when this should be up.

More info: committee website here

Rural Vermontcannabis, healthcare