115 State Street
Montpelier, VT 05633-5301
Tel: (802) 828-2228
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STATE OF VERMONT
House of Representatives
  • Rep. Carolyn W. Partridge, Chair
  • Rep. Rodney Graham, Vice Chair
  • Rep. John L. Bartholomew, Clerk
  • Rep. Cynthia Browning
  • Rep. Charen Fegard
  • Rep. Terry Norris
  • Rep. John O'Brien
  • Rep. Vicki Strong

House Committee on Agriculture and Forestry

 

AGENDA

 

Room 32

February 5, 2019 - February 8, 2019

Last Updated 2/8/2019 1:34 PM

 

Tuesday, February 05, 2019

10:00 AM                   House Floor

 

following                           Caucuses and Lunch

 

1:00 PM                   H. 81 - An act relating to the definition and sale of milk

Dr. Kristin Haas, State Vet, Director, Food Safety, Agency of Agriculture

EB Flory, Dairy Section Chief, Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets

Beth Bradley, PhD, UVM

Erin Sigrist, President, Vermont Retail & Grocers Association

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

 

2:00 PM                   H. 82 - An act relating to the taxation of timber harvesting equipment

Rep. Theresa Wood, Sponsor of Bill, .

Jedidiah Randall, Owner, Treetop Equipment Repair

Will Baker, Director of Legal Unit, Department of Taxes

Sam Lincoln, Deputy Commissioner, Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation

 

3:00 PM                   Wetlands

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

laura Lapierre, Wetlands Program Manager, Agency of Natural Resources

Ryan Patch, Senior Agriculture Development Coordinator, Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets

 

Wednesday, February 06, 2019

9:00 AM                   Livestock Care Standards Advisory Council

Joint Hearing with Senate Agriculture Committee

Room 10

Diane Bothfeld, Director of Administrative Services, Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets

Dr. Kristin Haas, State Vet, Director, Food Safety, Agency of Agriculture

Jane Clifford, Lobbyist

Ruth Blauwiekel, University Veterinarian, University of Vermont

 

10:00 AM                   Farm to School

Joint Hearing with House Agriculture and Forestry Committee

Room 10

Betsy Rosenbluth, Project Director, Vermont FEED

Laura Ginsburg, Agricultural Development Section Chief, Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets

Barrett Williams, Principal, Sharon Elementary School

Chris Parker, Food Service Director, Newbrook Elementary School

Isabel Erickson, 3rd Grade Student, Newbrook Elementary School

Lucy Bertram, Student, Newbrook Elementary School

Wyatt Williams, 5th Grade Student, Flood Brook School

Faye Mack, Advocacy and Education Director, Hunger Free Vermont

Harley Sterling, Food Service Director, Windham Northeast Supervisory Union

Sam Rowley, Educator, Green Mountain Technology and Career Center, Hyde Park

Emilie  Choquette, Student, Green Mountain Technology and Career Center

Opal Carney, Student, Green Mountain Technology and Career Center

Calvin Smith, Student, Green Mountain Technology and Career Center

Remington Vogan-Schneider, Student, Green Mountain Technology and Career Center

Rebecca Bishop, Assistant Director, Bennington County Head Start & Early Head Start

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

Jim Birmingham, Food Service Director, Montpelier Public Schools

Peter Burmeister, Owner, Burelli Farm

Ginger Farineau, Nutrition Initiatives Specialist, Hunger Free Vermont

 

1:00 PM                   House Floor

 

15 minutes after Floor                   Farm to Plate Reauthorizaton

Ellen Kahler, Executive Director, Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund

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

 

3:00 PM                   Fee Bill

 Committee discussion

 

Thursday, February 07, 2019

9:00 AM                   Hemp Processing Center Proposal

Joint hearing with House Commerce and Economic Development Committee and Senate Agriculture Committee

Ethan Allen Room

David Muller

 

10:15 AM                   H. 79 - An act relating to eligibility for farm-to-school grant assistance

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

Betsy Rosenbluth, VT FEED, Vermont Farm to School Network

Laura Ginsburg, Agricultural Development Section Chief, Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets

 

11:00 AM                   Center For an Agricultural Economy

Introductions

Bethany Dunbar, Community Programs Manager, Center for an Agricultural Economy

Daniel Keeney, Business Manager, Center for an Agricultural Economy

 

11:30 AM                   Vermont Cheese Council

 

Tom Bivins, Executive Chef, Vermont Cheese Council

 

1:00 PM                   House Floor

 

15 minutes after Floor                   Agritourism

Wendy Knight, Commissioner, Department of Tourism and Marketing, Agency of Commerce and Community Development

 

2:30 PM                   Vermont Dairy Industry History

Roger Allbee, Former Secretary of Agriculture, Food and Markets

Daniel Smith, Esq

 

Friday, February 08, 2019

9:30 AM                   House Floor

 

15 minutes after Floor                   Salvation Farms

Theresa Snow, Director, Salvation Farms

 

10:30 AM                   Wetlands

Ryan Patch, Senior Agriculture Development Coordinator, Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets

Hannah Smith, Associate General Counsel, Department of Environmental Conservation

laura Lapierre, Wetlands Program Manager, Agency of Natural Resources

 

ATTENTION WITNESSES- Please email handouts to the committee assistant before your scheduled meeting date and bring 5 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