Vermont farm groups urge clear statute to protect "right to grow food" after court ruling

Stakeholders from Vermont's farm and food systems told a legislative committee that the state should respond to a recent Vermont Supreme Court ruling by clarifying statute rather than immediately reopening the Required Agricultural Practices (RAPs).

"We really wanna protect the right of people to grow food, including livestock," said Maddie Kepner, policy director for NOFA, during testimony supporting a legislative fix to title 24. Kepner and other witnesses urged the Legislature to preserve consistent statewide rules and avoid creating a patchwork of local regulation.

Why it matters: Witnesses said the court ruling has left uncertainty about whether towns may adopt differing rules that could restrict farming in town centers and other growth areas, risking farmland loss and complicating operations for small and beginning farmers. Coalitions representing producers, dairy groups and conservation organizations told the committee they want the municipal exemption reinstated as it was commonly understood…