Rural Vermont tells Agriculture Committee it will push for farm recovery fund, on‑farm slaughter and equity measures

Rural Vermont representatives urged the Agriculture, Food Resiliency, & Forestry Committee to support a new state Farm Security Fund, to back continued federal and state work to clarify on‑farm slaughter rules, and to advance equity and market access measures for small producers, during a presentation to the committee.

The organization framed the proposals as responses to recent climate‑driven losses on farms and to structural barriers that keep small and new producers from earning sustainable incomes. Grama Ewing Stroopelt, policy director at Rural Vermont, said, "We're asking the legislature to pass the farm security fund," a proposed program intended to provide "reliable, rapidly available recovery funds for farmers impacted by climate emergencies and extreme weather."

Rural Vermont told the committee the state needs faster, local relief after disasters. The group cited the Agency of Agriculture’s post‑flood survey after 2023 flooding showing that "70% of applicants were not…