Vermont Farm Bureau briefs House Agriculture, Food Resiliency & Forestry Committee on farm relief, labor and equine concerns

Representatives of the Vermont Farm Bureau told the House Committee on Agriculture, Food Resiliency & Forestry that their top priorities this session include a proposed emergency farm relief program, agriculture labor and immigration policy, water-quality enforcement, and changes to how equine businesses and forestry are treated under state programs.

The Farm Bureau briefing was given to committee members by a delegation that included Amber Perry, the Farm Bureau administrator and chief lobbyist; Gwen Zakov, the group’s contract lobbyist; Mary White, the organization’s first vice president and a dairy farmer; and county leaders and field representatives. Chair David Durfee invited the group to introduce themselves and outline issues they expect to bring to the committee’s attention.

The Farm Bureau asked lawmakers to treat the organization as a resource for producers and said it is coordinating with other groups on several proposals. "We have just shy of 1,500 members," Amber Perry said, noting the bureau’s effort to bring members into legislative hearings. Gwen Zakov described her role as watching committees outside Ag — "Transportation, Natural Resources, Environment ... basically any other committee that's dealing with water quality, transportation, those sorts of issues" — because those committee actions can affect farms and forestry operations.

Why it matters: lawmakers said they expect bills this session that could change which agencies handle water-quality enforcement, alter definitions used for property-tax and grant eligibility, and create an emergency fund for farms. Those changes would affect access to state programs and to grant and relief dollars for dairy, diversified farms and…