Land trusts, farmers and Intervale Center urge full $37.6M VHCB funding to protect Vermont farms

Abby White, co‑chair of the Vermont Housing and Conservation Coalition and a staff member at the Vermont Land Trust, told a legislative hearing the coalition’s ask to the General Assembly is ‘‘to support the governor’s proposed budget of full funding for VHCB at $37,600,000.’’

The request, White said, reflects VHCB’s statutory share of property transfer tax revenue and funds projects that conserve farmland and support perpetually affordable housing. She explained VHCB ‘‘receives 50% of the revenue from that property transfer tax,’’ and noted that in past years the Legislature has sometimes withheld appropriations despite the statutory formula.

Multiple farmers and land‑trust directors described how VHCB‑backed conservation deals and business‑planning services have directly preserved working farms. Guy McGuire, executive director of the South Hero Land Trust, described a recent South Hero project that conserved about 195 acres — including a 90‑acre parcel he called ‘‘make or break’’ for that community’s farm viability — and said local conservation work also supports farm‑to‑school education, shoreline protection and recreation.

Farmer Mark Cattell told the panel his family bought a 101‑acre blueberry farm after competing with commercial offers and facing an unaffordable mortgage. He said the conservation transaction produced a substantial payment at closing that was applied to debt, allowing him to refinance and reduce his mortgage from roughly $4,000 a month to about $850. ‘‘That difference of $3,200 a month was our living,’’ Cattell said, describing how the conservation sale helped make the farm financially viable and preserved blueberry fields that have welcomed generations of pickers.

Bakersfield farmer Rosalie Williams described accepting a farm as a gift years earlier and later working with Vermont Land Trust staff (including Tucker Malone) to protect that land after a sequence of fires, injuries and financial strain. She told the committee conserving the property allowed her to keep the farm in production and to continue running community programs connected to her son’s memorial.

Travis Marcotte, executive director of the Intervale Center, framed VHCB support as both direct funding for conservation and a lever for business technical assistance. Marcotte said the Intervale Center has worked with roughly 900–1,000 farms over time and now provides business planning to about 130 farms a year with four business planners. He described the Intervale Center as a longtime VHCB service provider that leverages public dollars with federal grants, philanthropy and private funds.

Committee members asked clarifying questions about mitigation fees associated with Act 250 and whether those mitigation monies are directed to VHCB; witnesses said the mitigation dollars do flow to VHCB and are typically spent within the relevant district unless no local project exists. Legislators also asked whether lands conserved under land‑trust easements count toward statewide conservation targets; witnesses confirmed conserved lands are included in inventory counts cited during the hearing.

The presenters emphasized that VHCB funding often acts as ‘‘seed’’ or matching money that unlocks additional federal and private funds and that full statutory funding this year matters because budget choices could pull property transfer tax dollars elsewhere. There were no formal votes or motions taken at the hearing; presenters concluded by urging the Legislature to maintain the governor’s recommended full funding for VHCB.

The committee closed the hearing after roughly 90 minutes of testimony and questions; next steps depend on the Legislature’s budget negotiations and whether the VHCB statutory share is preserved in final appropriations.