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Vermont delegation briefs state committee on Farm Bill gaps, dairy priorities and disaster relief
Summary
Staff from Senators Bernie Sanders and Peter Welch and a congressional liaison updated the House Committee on Agriculture, Food Resiliency & Forestry on the Farm Bill’s extension, priorities for dairy and organic programs, proposed SNAP cuts, disaster-relief funding and farm-labor discussions. No formal votes were taken.
Haley Parro, outreach director for Sen. Bernie Sanders, told the House Committee on Agriculture, Food Resiliency & Forestry that the 2018 Farm Bill has been extended and that Senator Sanders wants the next Farm Bill to strengthen sustainable and organic practices, conserve natural resources, and support small, diversified family farms in Vermont and New England.
“We have an opportunity to be transformative and meet the needs of the small diversified and family farms like the ones we have here in Vermont and New England,” Parro said.
The nut graffor the committee: the current Farm Bill (the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018) expired on Sept. 30, 2023, and has been extended twice; staff warned that extensions without reauthorization create problems for programs that lack baseline mandatory funding and for farmers who hit per‑program payment limits.
Ryan McLaren, senior adviser for Sen. Peter Welch, outlined Welch’s priorities for the next Farm Bill, highlighting dairy policy, support for organic integrity, rural development programs and flexible disaster relief.…
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