Senate Committee on Agriculture

 

AGENDA

 

Room 26

April 9, 2019 - April 12, 2019

Last Updated 4/12/2019 11:03 AM

 

Tuesday, April 09, 2019

9:30 AM                   Senate Floor

 

15 minutes after Floor                   H. 275 - An act relating to the Farm-to-Plate Investment Program

 

-                                   H. 79 - An act relating to eligibility for farm-to-school grant assistance

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

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

Rosie Krueger, Assistant Director, Child Nutrition Programs, Agency of Education

Brad James, Education Finance Manager, Agency of Education

Betsy Rosenbluth, Project Director, Vermont FEED

Faye Mack, Advocacy and Education Director, Hunger Free Vermont

 

Wednesday, April 10, 2019

7:45 AM                   Sidebar Breakfast

Vermont Dairy Producers Alliance

Cafeteria

 

9:00 AM                   NOFA-VT

Erin Buckwalter, Acting Director, NOFA VT

Maddie Kempner, Membership and Advocacy Coordinator, NOFA VT

 

9:30 AM                   Northeast Agribusiness and Feed Alliance

Introductions and Issues

Room 10

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

Rick Zimmerman, Executive Director, Northeast Agribusiness and Feed Alliance

 

10:00 AM                   Vermont Dairy Producers Alliance and Green Mountain Dairy Farmers Cooperative Federation

Comments on wetlands bill and other legislation

Room 10

Bill Rowell, Chair of Board, Vermont Dairy Producers Alliance

Clara Ayer, Fairmont Farms, East Montpelier

Cy Nelson, Dairy farmer, Derby

Marty Waterman, President, Vermont Feed Dealers and Manufacturers Association

Dustin Machia, Machia and Sons Dairy, Sheldon

Ferdinand Waibel, Brouillette Farms, Berkshire

 

11:00 AM                   19-0792 - An act relating to farming activities in wetlands

Committee discussion

Hannah Smith, Associate General Counsel, Department of Environmental Conservation

Marli Rupe, Agricultural Water Quality Section Chief, Department of Environmental Conservation

 

11:30 AM                   Confirmation Hearing

Appointment of Anson Tebbetts to Secretary of Agency of  Agriculture, Food, and Markets

Anson Tebbetts, Secretary, Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets

 

Thursday, April 11, 2019

9:00 AM                   H. 205 - An act relating to the regulation of neonicotinoid pesticides

Room 10

Rep. John L. Bartholomew, Reporter of bill

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

Greg Smela, Webmaster, Vermont Beekeepers Association

Samantha Alger, Research Affiliate, Plant and Soil Science Department, UVM

David Tremblay, Apiary Inspector, Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets

Bill Mares, Former President, Vermont Beekeepers Association

Jack Rath, President, Vermont Beekeepers Association

John Hayden, Owner, The Farm Between

Larry Keefe, President, Vermont Golf Course Superintendents Association

Matt McMahon, Lobbyist, McLean, Meehan & Rice

Henry Witte, Manager, Montpelier Aubuchon Store #045

Judy Bellairs, Pollinator Protection Leader, Vermont Chapter of the Sierra Club

Ross Conrad, Owner, Dancing Bee Gardens

James Maroney, Owner/Operator, Oliver Hill  Farm

Sylvia Knight, Resident, Burlington

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

 

Friday, April 12, 2019

9:00 AM                   19-0792 - An act relating to farming activities in wetlands

 Room 10

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

Laura DiPietro, Water Quality Division Director, Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets

Hannah Smith, Associate General Counsel, Department of Environmental Conservation

laura Lapierre, Wetlands Program Manager, Agency of Natural Resources - Invited

Jared Carpenter, Water Protection Advocate, Lake Champlain Committee

Jackie Folsom, Lobbyist, Vermont Farm Bureau

Jon Groveman, Policy and Water Program Director, Vermont Natural Resources Council

Marli Rupe, Agricultural Water Quality Section Chief, Department of Environmental Conservation

 

11:00 AM                   H. 79 - An act relating to eligibility for farm-to-school grant assistance

Room 10

Doug Farnham, Senior Research Economist and the Director of Policy, Department of Taxes

 

11:15 AM                   Break

 

11:30 AM                   Senate Floor

 

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