House Committee on Agriculture and Forestry

AGENDA

Room 32

April 9, 2019 - April 12, 2019

Last Updated 4/11/2019 4:46 PM

Tuesday, April 09, 2019

9:30 AM                   S. 160 - An act relating to agricultural development

Section 1

Ellen Kahler, Executive Director, Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund

Abbey Willard, Director, Agricultural Development Division, Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets

10:00 AM                   House Floor

following                           Caucuses and Lunch

1:00 PM                   S. 160 - An act relating to agricultural development

Section 3

Eric Roy, Rubenstein School of Environmental and Natural Resources

David Mears, Executive  Director, Audubon Vermont

2:30 PM                   S. 160 - An act relating to agricultural development

Gil Livingston, Former President, Vermont Land Trust

Wednesday, April 10, 2019

7:45 AM                   Sidebar Breakfast

Vermont Dairy Producers Alliance

9:00 AM                   Northeast Agribusiness and Feed Alliance

Introductions and Issues

Art Whitman, Chair Government Relations Committee, Northeast Agribusiness and Feed Alliance

Rick Zimmerman, Executive Director, Northeast Agribusiness and Feed Alliance

9:30 AM                   S. 160 - An act relating to agricultural development

Section 1

Farm to School response

Betsy Rosenbluth, Project Director, Vermont FEED

Kathy Alexander, Director MAUSD/ANWSD Food Service Cooperative , Mount Abraham Unified School District and Addison Northwest School District

Abbie Nelson, Co-Director, VT Food Ed. Every Day & Education Director NOFA-VT

Faye Mack, Advocacy and Education Director, Hunger Free Vermont

10:30 AM                   Vermont Dairy Producers Alliance

Introductions and Issues

Amanda St. Pierre, Executive Director, Vermont Dairy Producers Alliance

Seth Chapelle, Bourdeau Brothers Inc.

Kelly Sweet, Farmer, Fletcher

Robin Sweet, Farmer

Bradley St. Pierre, Pleasant Valley Farm, Richford

Jamie St. Pierre, Pleasant Valley Farm, Richford

Cy Nelson, Nelson Farms, Derby

Dave Lane, Yankee Farm Credit

Bill Rowell, Chair of Board, Vermont Dairy Producers Alliance

11:30 AM                   S. 160 - An act relating to agricultural development

Earl Ransom, Owner, Strafford Organic Creamery

1:00 PM                   House Floor

15 minutes after Floor                   S. 58 - An act relating to the State hemp program

Sen. John Rodgers, Sponsor

Michael O'Grady, Deputy Chief Counsel, Office of Legislative Council

Kevin Kennedy, Founder, Continuum

Carl Christianson, Owner, Northeast Processing - Phone

Heather Darby, Agronomy Specialist, UVM Extension - Phone

Stephanie Smith, Land Use Chief, Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets

Cary Giguere, Policy Director, Public Health and Agricultural Resource Management

Thursday, April 11, 2019

9:00 AM                   S. 160 - An act relating to agricultural development

Section 3

Phil Huffman, Director of Government Relations and Policy, The Nature Conservancy

Rose Paul, Director of Science and Fresh Water Programs, The Nature Conservancy

10:00 AM                   S. 160 - An act relating to agricultural development

Section 12 and 13

Michael Snyder, Commissioner, Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation

Jim Shallow, Director of Strategic Conservation Initiatives, The Nature Conservancy

Phil Huffman, Director of Government Relations and Policy, The Nature Conservancy

Robert Turner, Consulting Forester and Member, Governor's Climate Actin Commission

Nick Richardson, President, Vermont Land Trust

1:00 PM                   House Floor

15 minutes after Floor                   S. 160 - An act relating to agricultural development

Jon Klar, Farmer, Irasburg, VT

Jack Lazor, Owner, Butterworks Farm (3:15 PM)

Friday, April 12, 2019

9:30 AM                   House Floor

15 minutes after Floor                   Committee Discussion of Bills in Committee

ATTENTION WITNESSES- Please email handouts to the committee assistant before your scheduled meeting date and bring 7 hard copies. Please write your name, organization, date and title on each document. With few exceptions, any documents you hand out to a committee, or send to a committee assistant, are open to the public and may be posted to the committee’s webpage.

If you have any questions and comments, please contact

 Linda Leehman at 802-828-2233 or lleehman@leg.state.vt.us