Senate Committee on Agriculture

 

AGENDA

 

Room 28 and Zoom

January 13, 2026 - January 16, 2026

Last Updated 1/16/2026 11:10 AM

 

Unless otherwise noted, all meetings are livestreamed at

https://legislature.vermont.gov/committee/streaming/senate-agriculture.

Tuesday, January 13, 2026

9:00 AM                   Vermont Farm to School

Farm to School Network Awareness Day

Kayla Strom, Farm to School Programs Coordinator, NOFA-VT

Olivia Stewart, 12th Grade Student, Champlain Valley Union High School

Karyl Kent, Child Nutrition Director, Mount Mansfield Unified Union School District

 

9:25 AM                   Adjourn

 

9:30 AM                   Senate Floor

Followed by mandatory training

 

Wednesday, January 14, 2026

9:00 AM                   Municipal Regulation of Agriculture

Agricultural Zoning in Municipalities

Josh Hanford, Director of Intergovernmental Affairs, Vermont League of Cities and Towns

Samantha Sheehan, Municipal Policy and Advocacy Specialist, Vermont League of Cities and Towns

 

9:55 AM                   Break

 

10:00 AM                   United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Update of programs available to farmers

Wendy Wilton, State Executive Director, USDA Farm Service Agency

 

10:45 AM                   Break

 

11:00 AM                   Municipal Regulation of Agriculture

Bradley Showman, Legislative Counsel, Office of Legislative Counsel

 

12:00 PM                   Adjourn

 

1:00 PM                   Senate Floor

 

Thursday, January 15, 2026

9:00 AM                   Vermont Economic Development Authority (VEDA)

proposed changes in structure

Joan Goldstein, Chief Executive Officer, Vermont Economic Development Authority

 

9:30 AM                   Break

 

9:45 AM                   Impact of Natural Gas Pipelines on Farmers

Nate Palmer, Owner, Palmer Farm - Zoom

Jane Palmer, Owner, Palmer Farm - Zoom

Jim Dumont, Attorney - Zoom

 

10:30 AM                   Break

 

10:45 AM                   Farm Inputs

Rock dust and limestone

Thomas Vanacore, Owner, Rock Dust Local

Trampas Demers, Owner, Shelburne Limestone Corporation

Jonathan Corcoran, Addison County Relocalization Network (ACORN)

 

11:25 AM                   Agricultural Land Use

Ryan Patch, Agriculture Climate and Land Use Policy Manager, Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets - Zoom

 

-                                   Adjourn

 

1:00 PM                   Senate Floor

 

Friday, January 16, 2026

9:00 AM                   Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets Updates

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

 

9:55 AM                   Break

 

10:00 AM                   Hemp and Adult Use Cannabis

Graham Unangst-Rufenacht, Policy Director, Rural Vermont

Geoffrey Pizzutillo, Executive Director and CoFounder, Vermont Growers Association

Jessilyn Dolan, Co Founder, Green Mountain Patients' Alliance

Rev. Mark Hughes, Executive Director, Co-Chair, Vermont Racial Justice Alliance, Health Equity Advisory Commission

Amy Lems, Board of Directors Member and Grant Administrator, Vermont Growers Association

 

11:15 AM                   Adjourn

 

11:30 AM                   Senate Floor

 

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

 Linda Leehman at Linda.Leehman@vtleg.gov