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Vermont farmers tell committee S.45 must protect value‑added businesses, guard against nuisance suits
Summary
At a legislative hearing on S.45, farmers and producers urged lawmakers to write the bill so it protects accessory on‑farm businesses and limits exposure to costly nuisance or easement disputes, citing examples of wealthy neighbors, water attribution challenges and encroaching development.
Becky Castle, owner of Sisters of Anarchy Ice Cream and More in Shelburne, and Alex Thibault, a fifth‑generation dairy farmer in Colchester, told a legislative committee hearing on S.45 that the bill should shield farms and accessory on‑farm businesses from excessive litigation and preserve flexibility for farms to change operations.
Castle described her farm’s mix of production and value‑added activity and warned lawmakers against constraining how a farm may evolve. “You have to allow farmers to be nimble and innovative and to change what they're doing without too many restrictions on it, as long as they're following the rules that are in place that are required agricultural practices,” Castle said.
Why it matters: advocates said protections in S.45 would help farms remain profitable as agriculture changes in Vermont and as residential and commercial development moves closer to farm operations. Testimony highlighted risks beyond ordinary nuisance complaints, including allegations tied to water quality that can be hard to attribute to a single source and costly legal fights with well‑funded neighbors.
Castle told the committee she and…
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