Vermont farmers tell Senate ag panel VHCB funding keeps family farms and conserved land in production

Vermont farmers, land‑trust leaders and housing advocates told the Senate Agriculture Committee on Friday that the governor’s proposed $37.6 million appropriation for the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board (VHCB) is critical to keeping working farms in production and preserving prime agricultural land.

Abby White, co‑chair of the Vermont Housing and Conservation Coalition and a Vermont Land Trust representative, opened the panel by asking the committee to back the governor’s fully funded VHCB request for fiscal 2027. “We advocate for robust investments in both housing and conservation,” White said, urging senators to “support that budget” and the board’s work that pairs housing and land preservation.

The committee then heard several first‑person accounts showing how VHCB‑supported projects translate into farms that remain viable and transferable. Scott McGuire, executive director of…