[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},"mediaId",6323240,"mediaKeyId","2342875-8f4586351fe0839f4b6fb69b8dc6dc86","parentId",2342875,"title","Vermont fairgrounds urge relief as stormwater '3‑acre' rule and permit delays create multimillion‑dollar costs","audioSeconds",2404,"startMs",2568000,"endMs",4972000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2342875-8f4586351fe0839f4b6fb69b8dc6dc86&start=2568&end=4972","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2342875-8f4586351fe0839f4b6fb69b8dc6dc86/thumbnail_2568000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6323240/Vermont/Vermont-fairgrounds-urge-relief-as-stormwater-3acre-rule-and-permit-delays-create-multimilliondollar-costs","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6323240-c316226bbe441fc6d35562d03a401f66/orig.mp4?Expires=1775881619&Signature=dAy2dd7UgV060ZSZyz-LpWmd4T8zT5sOw3YBZUFCjpldLaTMC16e6tZ1~loqPdtAgv1DDy0h7Xid0bg6MGNYF184~3h9EvD2~BpS0h2VI~-QVGNULqU9ASSR~DwqwOV4k-vOzllEkBIUj6kh2BqDZ2ahRT4uwfjGEx5ePb6jaZvr4p7JB0p0kadZQIPdZ6-kMrgIcszHhVdXOhsdljfrdF7tsNh3nhpoPXlcmwqHbiemQagsAB5BNrd1KGqF9h2C5kbjj38ac8puShxeb9Pd77aUBCD3BcInk0GMjXAlo818EPicnO2JukZaGwyXTY2pDBAIzXQCkApTh5vA0Xd0kg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-02-19T15:16:55Z","article","Representatives of Vermont county fairgrounds told the Senate Agriculture Committee that a state stormwater regulation known informally as the \"3‑acre rule\" and a backlog of permit reviews at the Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) and Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) are creating urgent financial and timing problems for fairs that host community events and support local agriculture.

\"We are really in a conundrum. We are really in a very, very difficult situation where we actually are at an impasse. We are at a point where we can't proceed at this point. We're basically dead,\" Robert Connan, a Rutland fair representative, said when describing his fair's situation. Connan said an initial feasibility study shows roughly $3.7 million in infrastructure costs, including $150,000–$200,000 in engineering work, and that the fair cannot access available grant funds without an approved permit.

Jackie Folsom, lobbyist for the Vermont Fairs & Field Days Association and president of the Vermont Farm Bureau, told senators that the Association received $300,000 in capital grants and $110,000 in stipends through the Agency of Agriculture but that some fairgrounds face much higher repair or compliance bills. Several fair executives described using grant funds to repair aging infrastructure — roofs, electrical systems, barns and arena surfaces — and emphasized fairs’ community roles hosting emergency response staging, vaccine clinics and volunteer housing during floods.

Speakers said the $2,000,000 set aside at the Agency of Agriculture for stormwater projects cannot be released until applicants hold approved permits; several fair leaders said they face a permit review backlog at ANR/DEC that stretches review timelines by months and increases engineering billings. Tim Shea of the Champlain Valley Exposition described an engineering review process in which agencies request incremental revisions, often causing month‑long delays and higher consultant fees.

Multiple presenters suggested legislative fixes such as a temporary implementation delay, a targeted exemption for historic fairs, or allowing limited release of state funds to pay engineering costs needed to obtain permits. Senator committee members said they would \"take a swing at this\" to pursue options and flagged pending bills in other committees that could provide breathing room but acknowledged the bills do not yet solve the underlying permitting backlog.

Why this matters: Fairgrounds are local infrastructure hubs used by agricultural communities and emergency responders. Several fair operators said a failure to secure funding and permits could force scaled‑back events or financial distress that would reduce local economic activity and threaten volunteer‑run institutions that support 4‑H programs, community events and rural outreach.

No formal committee action was taken during the hearing; senators asked staff to explore legislative paths and to coordinate with ANR, DEC and the Agency of Agriculture on potential short‑term fixes and use of existing funds.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate Agriculture - 2025-02-19 - 10:15 AM","oneSentenceSummary","County fair operators told the Senate Agriculture Committee that a state '3‑acre' stormwater rule, permitting backlogs at ANR/DEC and high engineering costs threaten operations — with one large fair estimating a $3.7 million compliance price tag and asking for legislative or administrative fixes.","taxTitle","Agriculture, SENATE, Committees, Legislative , Vermont","taxId",35161,"location","Vermont","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6323246,"Northeast entrepreneurs push industrial hemp fiber manufacturing, ask senators for state support",1983,15000,1998000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2342875-8f4586351fe0839f4b6fb69b8dc6dc86&start=15&end=1998","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2342875-8f4586351fe0839f4b6fb69b8dc6dc86/thumbnail_15000.jpg","/articles/6323246/Vermont/Northeast-entrepreneurs-push-industrial-hemp-fiber-manufacturing-ask-senators-for-state-support","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6323246-42e8ee0f63e97d977b4fb49565ae0e10/orig.mp4?Expires=1775881619&Signature=DqaTx4O3ElLtcTC5nud~Yo99Wki7hCJnuyx9ZVdVOm4~t1Bsnyh9ZhSbDsfH7bx5dEqapXW70iJYgHat8pPCJPpxgW-2UjWN0dRRl38ttzLn67EtgySKJnYt~cPGS1nSNcPa~sbi8Iqek5pWwxRvWCu9IjG8QTDbewaF3sOvCRo6TfLr5eKIar9ZopbeVWYUYrlkxv6-TO1jUxTcgCZrjrmHQIMrxSpj1KM0GUr49yS4TA5uC2u-UkiHVR8zsHI6X8tVkIBSXsAHMemTaOHG5v6KOBhEqbAhIaLtE3I5lTGj4O7xWNWOIIATBA~PBNrrnBSf8tsbmA6SEYDFTu2pYw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Janet Curry, a Vermont hemp grower and co‑founder of Bill Hemp USA, and Travis Samuels, co‑owner and CEO of Scion Growers, told the Vermont Senate Agriculture Committee that industrial hemp fiber offers a pathway for farm diversification and local manufacturing — if state and federal policy and financing hurdles are addressed.

Curry, owner of Valley Stock Farm, described how she grows a Polish fiber hemp strain with a roughly 70‑day maturation and harvests the crop like hay, noting specific production practices and contamination concerns. \"We go in and be cut right before the males start to produce the pollen because pollen can travel anywhere between 10 to 15 miles and can contaminate either a CBD crop or now, in this case, a THC crop,\" Curry said, explaining the harvest timing and neighbor‑friendly practice. She said harvested stalks are dried to about 10% moisture, raked and baled for processing and that early test plots produced measurable yields while extreme weather has sometimes prevented harvest.

Curry and Samuels described a vertically linked business plan that spans farm production, fiber separation and plastics and housewares manufacturing. Curry said Bill Hemp USA markets EcoChic household items (straws, cups, plates and 3‑D filament) made from a hemp granulate produced by a companion product line, Tetraplex. She described partnerships with regional compounders and manufacturers in Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hampshire and said the company is preparing to fill customer orders in 2026.

\"We've got to separate this,\" Curry said of hemp fiber and other cannabis products. \"We're missing out on so much from that fiber end of it.\" She said European certifications and patents held by affiliated companies make some product development and export work easier, but that U.S. financing options are limited because hemp fiber remains associated in finance and regulation with other cannabis derivatives.

Samuels said the processing bottleneck is central to the business case: farmers can grow fiber using existing hay equipment and round‑bale logistics, but there are few domestic processors. \"For the processing equipment, we're looking at anywhere from $1,500,000 to $5,000,000 depending on what we get for processing equipment,\" Samuels said. He added that U.S. processing capacity is limited — \"less than 10 in the entirety of the United States\" — so many building suppliers import material.

Both speakers said they have scouted markets and customers. Curry said one corporate buyer has a purchase order for 2026 and cited Cisco's high straw consumption as an example of large potential demand. Samuels said dozens of Vermont farmers have expressed willingness to plant hemp fiber if local processing were available and that farmer payouts can be comparable to hay while offering higher per‑acre returns when yields are strong.

The presenters asked the committee to help by coordinating with state agriculture officials and Vermont's federal delegation and by identifying state funding or policy changes to unlock grants and lending. Curry said she has met with staff from U.S. Sen. Peter Welch's office and others but that many state lending programs have strict requirements that limit access for hemp enterprises. She asked the committee for a follow‑up meeting with the Department of Agriculture and further introductions to federal staff.

Senators on the panel acknowledged policy limits tied to federal farm law and suggested staff follow up with the presenters to map funding and regulatory options. No formal committee action was taken; presenters requested additional meetings and support rather than a vote.

Why this matters: Committee members and presenters framed industrial hemp fiber as a farm diversification opportunity that could reuse underused manufacturing space, create jobs in rural areas and supply regional manufacturers, but attendees warned that current financing and limited processing capacity make near‑term expansion contingent on public support and private capital.

","Growers and processors told the Vermont Senate Agriculture Committee that industrial hemp fiber could diversify farms and seed a regional manufacturing sector, but processing equipment costs, federal rules and lending limits are blocking projects.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Vermont fairgrounds urge relief as stormwater '3‑acre' rule and permit delays create multimillion‑dollar costs

Northeast entrepreneurs push industrial hemp fiber manufacturing, ask senators for state support