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 covered by crop insurance," and added that insured farms often do not receive full recovery of losses. The presenters said Vermont may receive federal block grant funds that the state could allocate and that the Farm Security Fund language was still being finalized.

The group also renewed long‑running advocacy for on‑farm slaughter. Caroline (Carolyn) Sherman Gordon, legislative director at Rural Vermont, said the organization supports a federal clarification to the Federal Meat Inspection Act and described prior state action: "We really celebrate and thank you for last year's passage of Act 93 that so now allows poultry producers to sell uninspected slaughtered poultry, not just as whole birds, but also in parts." Sherman Gordon said Rural Vermont and allied senators plan to re‑introduce related federal legislation to make the practice clearer at the national level.

Cannabis regulation and equity were another major topic. Stroopelt outlined several priorities: restoring or expanding direct market access for tier‑1 producers, establishing ongoing funding and expansion of a cannabis development fund to support smaller producers, striking language that allows new municipal powers over outdoor cultivation districts, and enabling legal public consumption venues. "We are looking to strike language adopted last year allowing new municipal powers over outdoor cultivation, these quote unquote cultivation districts," Stroopelt said, adding that setbacks adopted last year could force 10–12 producers to cease operations.

Rural Vermont discussed broader policy and program requests, including support for FarmShare (which subsidizes CSA shares by paying roughly 25%–75% of costs for qualifying households), a $500,000 request for farm‑to‑school and early childhood grants and a separate $500,000 request for local food incentive grants. The presenters said they are also researching cottage food laws, which set home‑scale income thresholds for small bakers and food producers and have not been updated for inflation.

Other items raised included pesticide policy and implementation of last session’s PFAS/consumer product legislation (identified in testimony as S.25/Act 131 implementation), support for migrant farmworker programs, and continued work on agroecology education and international partnerships. Stroopelt described Rural Vermont as "a statewide, member‑based, farmer and farmworker‑led not‑for‑profit organization," and offered the group as a resource to the committee for stakeholder outreach.

Committee members asked clarifying questions about the Farm Security Fund drafting and about the impacts of recent statutes on accessory on‑farm businesses and on cannabis siting. Presenters and legislators agreed to follow up with draft bill language and additional stakeholder meetings.

Rural Vermont representatives asked the committee to consider holding small farm action days at the State House to enable direct testimony from affected farmers in the coming session.