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Negotiators agree to Vermonters Feeding Vermonters funds, improve local food shelves and reallocate farm-to-school money
Summary
Conference negotiators on H.493 agreed in principle to fund Vermonters Feeding Vermonters ($500,000), boost local food shelves, include CACFP, and reallocate some farm support into farm-to-school and a Medicaid backfill.
On Oct. 11, 2025, conference committee negotiators said they had reached tentative agreement on several food and nutrition items in the H.493 budget adjustment, including $500,000 for Vermonters Feeding Vermonters, $1 million for local food shelves, inclusion of CACFP funding previously discussed under childcare, and a reallocation of certain farm-program dollars into farm-to-school programming.
Negotiators said the parties had already agreed to the $500,000 for Vermonters Feeding Vermonters and that the CACFP item would be included as part of both the childcare and food packages. For local food shelves, negotiators reported an agreement in principle to a $1 million appropriation and said they would accept the sponsor’s NOFA increase proposal at a lower incremental amount than originally requested.
The group described a reallocation approach that would reduce a proposed farm-to-school funding mechanism’s new program constructs and instead move money into the existing farm-to-school line. They said the Medicaid-related backfill would be set at $500,000 and that eliminations of the “farm security special fund” would free resources to prioritize farm-to-school access.
Other small one-time proposals were discussed: negotiators said a pair of $500,000 requests (a server and a county conservation district) were proposed to be split, with $250,000 to each project as a compromise.
Why it matters: the funding choices affect food security programs and school food access statewide and will determine which local food shelves and farm-to-school partnerships receive immediate support during the fiscal year.
Process and next steps: negotiators asked staff to confirm dollar allocations and finalize the drafting of language. They said they could provide a response on the three related package items shortly and expected technical staff to fold agreed amounts into the BAA drafts.
Ending: negotiators characterized these as internal agreements subject to final drafting and JFO technical review before inclusion in the enacted conference report.
