House Committee on Agriculture, Food Resiliency, and Forestry

 

AGENDA

 

Room 49 and Zoom

January 14, 2025 - January 17, 2025

Last Updated 1/17/2025 2:21 PM

 

Unless otherwise noted, all meetings are livestreamed at

https://legislature.vermont.gov/committee/streaming/house-agriculture-food-resiliency-and-forestry.

Tuesday, January 14, 2025

10:00 AM                   House Floor

 

10:30 AM                   Sexual Harassment Prevention Training

 

12:00 PM                   Lunch

 

1:00 PM                   Agency of Agriculture Introductions

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

Nicole Dubuque, Chief Operations Officer, Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets

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

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

Cheryl Achilles, Director, Vermont Agriculture and Environmental Laboratory, Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets

Steve Dwinell, Director, Public Health and Agricultural Resource Management, Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets

Steven Collier, General Counsel, Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets

 

2:00 PM                   Chair and Vice Chair Training

 

Wednesday, January 15, 2025

9:45 AM                   Review of Legislation Passed in Previous Biennium

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

 

10:30 AM                   Break

 

10:45 AM                   UVM HATCH Act Updates

Eric J Von Wettberg, Director of the Vermont Agricultural Experiment Station, University of Vermont

 

12:00 PM                   Lunch

 

1:00 PM                   Food Security Research

Dr. Meredith Niles, Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences/Food Systems Program, University of Vermont

 

2:00 PM                   Vermont Food Bank and Hunger Free Vermont

Introductions

John Sayles, CEO, Vermont Foodbank

Carrie Stahler, Government and Public Affairs Officer, Vermont Foodbank

Anore Horton, Executive Director, Hunger Free Vermont

 

2:50 PM                   Adjourn

 

3:00 PM                   House Floor

 

Thursday, January 16, 2025

9:30 AM                   Rural Vermont Introductions

Caroline Gordon, Legislative Director, Rural Vermont

Graham Unangst-Rufenacht, Policy Director, Rural Vermont

 

10:30 AM                   Break

 

10:45 AM                   Working Lands Program Overview

Root's Farm Market

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

 

11:00 AM                   Agency of Agriculture Introductions

E.B. Flory, Director, Food Safety and Consumer Protection, Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets

 

12:00 PM                   Lunch

 

1:00 PM                   Climate Resilience

Al Freeman, Climate Forester, Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation

Katherine Servidio, Forest Economy Program Manager, Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation

 

2:00 PM                   Committee Discussion

 

2:50 PM                   Adjourn

 

3:00 PM                   House Floor

 

Friday, January 17, 2025

9:30 AM                   House Floor

 

10:00 AM                   Farm to Plate Investment Program

Introductions and overview

Ellen Kahler, Executive Director, Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund

Jake Claro, Farm to Plate Network Director, Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund

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

Scott Birch, Farm Bureau President, Orleans County

 

11:00 AM                   Wildland Fire Team Presentation

Danielle Fitzko, Commissioner, Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation

Dan Dillner, State Forest Fire Supervisor, Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation

Kathy Decker, Forest Protection Program Manager, Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation

Oliver Pierson, Director of Forests, Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation

 

12:00 PM                   Lunch

 

1:00 PM                   Vermont Farm Bureau

Introductions

Jackie Folsom, Lobbyist, Vermont Farm Bureau

Gwynn Zakov, Lobbyist, Farm Bureau

Amber Perry, Policy Director, Vermont Farm Bureau

Mary White, Fort Waite Holsteins LLC, Vice President, Vermont Farm Bureau

Scott Birch, Farm Bureau President, Orleans County

Kate Rowley, Rowley Brothers Dairy

Heidi Krantz, Member, Vermont Horse Council

 

2:00 PM                   Vermont Logging Introduction

Dana Doran, Executive Director, Professional Logging Contractors of the Northeast

 

2:15 PM                   Adjourn

 

2:30 PM                   Field Trip

The Roots Farm Market

 

ATTENTION WITNESSES

 

Please email handouts to the committee assistant at least 24 hours before your scheduled meeting time. With few exceptions, any documents you send to a committee assistant are open to the public and may be posted to the committee’s web page.

 

Should you require accessibility services, please click here and note that requests should be made 48 hours in advance of testimony.

 

 

 

If you have any questions or comments, please contact

 Sydonia Axis Lary at slary@leg.state.vt.us