By Secretary Anson Tebbetts

Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets

As we head into deep summer, a host of laws are taking effect that will advance Vermont’s rural economy.

The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets (VAAFM) worked closely with the legislature and Gov. Phil Scott in the 2018 session to bring attention to state’s farmers and working lands. While preserving and enhancing the Vermont we love, these new laws make Vermont more affordable, take care of those most in need and grow the state economy.

Highlights include helping dairy farmers with financing and Margin Protection Program (MPP) premiums. The Vermont Economic Development Authority (VEDA) received $250,000 for continuance of the Farm Operating Loan Program that was last offered in 2009. To date, VEDA has signed off on 1.4 million in operating loans under this program.

In addition, $450,000 was set aside for farmers to offset the costs for participating in the 2018 federal MPP. The MPP has already returned more than $4 million to Vermont farmers in the first few months.

Vermont’s schools also received critical agricultural funding that will, in turn, stimulate farms and small businesses. The Farm to School program will receive an additional $50,000 this year to deliver locally-grown produce, meats and agricultural education programs to children; $242,000 will be returned to the community this year under this program.

The Vermont Working Lands Enterprise Initiative will receive an additional $106,000 to support innovation, jobs and entrepreneurship at the heart of Vermont’s working landscape. This economic development program will return $700,000 to our rural economy in 2018.

Gov. Scott also signed a bill that will help farmers invite more visitors to their farms. Advanced in partnership with the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund and the Vermont League of Cities and Towns, Act 143 will make it easier to host “on-farm” events without undergoing a rigorous permit process – delivering more dollars to our rural economy while connecting more people to the land.

Vermont farmers are also innovating for the future. Act 143 as signed by Gov. Scott amends the state’s industrial hemp law by creating a pilot program for research, cultivation and marketing of this durable plant, used for food, fiber and fuel.

The bill grows Vermont’s hemp industry by allowing registered industrial hemp growers to purchase hemp seeds or import hemp genetics from any state that complies with federal requirements for the cultivation of industrial hemp. Each day farmers plant more hemp in the Green Mountains, with more than 400 farmers now registered to grow it as a cash crop.

These are just a few of the highlights from the 2018 legislature, a productive session that will make a difference for Vermont’s farm community. The VAAFM thanks the agriculture community and public for their help, and thanks lawmakers of the 2018 legislative session for their important partnership. With the help of Gov. Scott, we look forward to continuing to lead the state with Green Mountain-style prosperity.

Anson Tebbetts was appointed Vermont’s secretary of Agriculture, Food and Markets in January 2017. From 2007-09, he served as deputy secretary, and is a native Vermonter with deep agricultural roots. He was born and raised on his family’s farm in Cabot, where he continues to reside today.