Caroline Sherman Gordon, legislative director, described a newly expanded coalition of farm and food‑system stakeholders working to respond to a Vermont Supreme Court decision that the coalition says removed a long‑standing municipal exemption for farming.

"What we want to come forward with is, a, to reinstate the municipal exemption as it was understood since 1987, and b, to also establish a right to grow food free from municipal exemption so that growing food cannot be prohibited, through zoning," Caroline said, urging a coordinated legislative approach and recommending a joint hearing with the Agency of Agriculture and the League of Cities and Towns.

Coalition members said they have met with multiple stakeholders — including Rural Vermont, the Vermont Farm Bureau, the Vermont Dairy Producers Alliance, AGRAMark, Cabot, the Land Access and Opportunity Board, the Vermont Association of Conservation Districts and the Connecticut River Watershed Farmers Alliance — and will bring farmers affected by the court decision to testify.

Speakers emphasized the need for a sponsored, member‑carried bill and cautioned that a rushed or poorly framed fix could lose ground. Caroline said the coalition has worked to find alignment among diverse agricultural stakeholders and recommended further briefings so legislators can compare the coalition's proposal with any agency‑led option.

The presenters also flagged potential extensions of the proposed right to private homeowner associations and noted continuing conversations with municipal leaders to reconcile differences between stakeholder aims and municipal interests.

Committee members acknowledged the breadth of the issue and asked for follow‑up briefings and additional testimony from farmers; no bill text was introduced during the session.