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Vermont Farm Bureau urges delay on Act 181 rules, warns implications for farm housing and diversification
Summary
Mary White, president of the Vermont Farm Bureau, told the Senate Natural Resources & Energy Committee that parts of Act 181 — especially road‑rule and tiering provisions — could reduce land values, impede farm diversification and make on‑farm housing unaffordable; she asked for an implementation extension, an economic impact study and a landowner survey.
Mary White, president of the Vermont Farm Bureau, told the Senate Natural Resources & Energy Committee on March 11 that members from across Vermont worry Act 181 could harm farm livelihoods and rural economies.
"These are stories of someone's livelihood, not just the development," White said, describing multiple farm examples and asking the committee to delay parts of the law’s implementation.
White said her organization represents producers in all 14 counties and that the major concerns raised by members include retiring farmers, farmers seeking to diversify and start‑up farms. She emphasized on‑farm and workforce housing needs — noting some growers rely on H‑2A labor and on‑site housing — and warned that changes to the “road rule” and to tier maps could trigger Act 250 reviews that make homesteads and farm‑run businesses less viable.
White shared several named examples to illustrate the stakes: an elderly farmer she identified as Jim who fears losing development rights on remote land; Neil Ryan, who described using agritourism to sustain a multi‑generation homestead; and a young sugaring enterprise that has expanded to tens of thousands of taps. She said those stories show how farm businesses often rely on the ability to build or host farm stays and events.
Committee members pressed White on specifics, asking whether the road rule is the primary issue and how appraisal practice would treat conserved lands. White said appraisals already consider 'best use' and that uncertainty about how tiering and the road rule will interact with appraisal practices and bank lending is a major concern for landowners.
White asked the committee to: extend implementation timelines (she suggested extending the act’s implementation to December 2027 or later), commission an economic impact study focused on rural Vermont, continue engagement with rural landowners and conduct a landowner survey before new requirements take effect. The committee indicated it will continue the discussion and consider procedural changes and additional testimony.
Next steps: Committee members said they will take further testimony and consider whether to delay or amend implementation dates in S.325 to allow more outreach and study.
