Vermont dairy producers present 2025 priorities, cite rising feed costs, floods and workforce strain

Representatives of the Vermont Dairy Producers Alliance presented the group's 2025 legislative priorities to a legislative committee (date not specified), asking lawmakers to include producers in policy development as the industry confronts higher feed costs, flood damage to cropland and persistent labor shortages.

"Fiscal responsibility, climate and environmental regulations, agricultural workforce reform, and, immigration," said Kevin Corey, director of nutrition and sales for Phoenix Feeds Nutrition, listing the executive board's headline priorities and directing committee members to a printed priorities sheet circulated to the panel. The document also highlights increased food access and energy on the reverse side.

The request for a formal role in rulemaking came repeatedly as farmers described how state policy and outside pressures affect daily operations. Amanda Saint Pierre, a Berkshire-area dairy farmer and member of the Vermont Dairy Producers Alliance and the Ag Innovation Board, told the committee, "Today, we have roughly 450 active dairy farms in our state which has fallen from 853 in…