House Committee on Agriculture, Food Resiliency, and Forestry

 

AGENDA

 

Room 49 and Zoom

January 13, 2026 - January 16, 2026

Last Updated 1/16/2026 8:48 AM

 

Unless otherwise noted, all meetings are livestreamed at

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

Tuesday, January 13, 2026

10:00 AM                   House Floor

Followed by Mandatory Training

 

12:00 AM                   Lunch

 

1:00 PM                   Vermont Farm to School

Testimony on Vermont Farm to School Awareness Day

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

Yvonne Miceler, Student, Champlain Valley Union High School, Member, FEAST Youth Summit Committee

Ian Rose, Child Nutrition Director, Windsor Southeast Supervisory Union

Emily Dumont, Proprietor, Dumont Farm and Cattle Co., Chelsea, VT

Randy George, Owner, Red Hen Baking Company

 

1:55 PM                   Break

 

2:10 PM                   Executive Session

 

3:20 PM                   Committee Discussion

 

3:40 PM                   Adjourn

 

Wednesday, January 14, 2026

9:30 AM                   Rural Vermont

Priorities for 2026

Caroline Sherman-Gordon, Legislative Director, Rural Vermont

 

10:15 AM                   S. 60 - An act relating to establishing the Farm Security Special Fund to provide grants for farm losses due to weather conditions

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

 

10:30 AM                   Organic Standards

Update on Organic Pasture Rule Variance

Nicole Dehne, Certification Director, Vermont Organic Farmers

 

11:00 AM                   Food Security

Department of Fish and Wildlife

Charles Martin, Deputy Secretary, Agency of Natural Resources

Jason Batchelder, Commissioner, Department of Fish and Wildlife

 

12:00 PM                   Lunch

 

1:00 PM                   Municipal Regulation of Agriculture

Testimony from Stakeholders

Caroline Gordon, Legislative Director, Rural Vermont

Amber Perry, Policy Director, Vermont Farm Bureau

 

1:50 PM                   Break

 

2:00 PM                   Bridges to Health

Discussion

Mike Fisher, Chief Health Care Advocate, Vermont Legal Aid

 

2:15 PM                   Committee Discussion

Ad Hoc Committee Questions & Answers

Bradley Showman, Legislative Counsel, Office of Legislative Counsel

 

3:00 PM                   House Floor

Immediately followed by Caucus of the Whole

 

Thursday, January 15, 2026

9:30 AM                   Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation

Overview of SloCAMP Report

David Wilcox, Forester, Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation

Oliver Pierson, State Forester and Director of the Forests Division, Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation

 

10:05 AM                   Break

 

10:15 AM                   Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets

Municipal Regulation of Agriculture

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

 

11:00 AM                   Legislative Counsel Overview

Municipal Regulation of Agriculture

Bradley Showman, Legislative Counsel, Office of Legislative Counsel

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

 

12:00 PM                   Lunch

 

1:20 PM                   Vermont Food Security Roadmap

Coalition Priorities

Amy Shollenberger, Lobbyist, Action Circles, Vermont Community Action Partnership

John Sayles, CEO, Vermont Foodbank

Becka Warren, Food Security Roadmap Coalition Manager, Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund

 

2:00 PM                   Break

 

2:10 PM                   Budget Adjustment Act

Bridges to Health - Straw Poll

 

2:15 PM                   S. 60 - An act relating to establishing the Farm Security Special Fund to provide grants for farm losses due to weather conditions

Appropriations Committee Amendment - Straw Poll

 

2:25 PM                   Legislative Counsel Overview

Discussion - Municipal Regulation of Farming

Bradley Showman, Legislative Counsel, Office of Legislative Counsel

 

2:45 PM                   Break

 

3:00 PM                   House Floor

 

Friday, January 16, 2026

9:30 AM                   House Floor

 

10:30 AM                   Committee Discussion

 

11:20 AM                   Rural Vermont

Program Priorities for 2026

Graham Unangst-Rufenacht, Policy Director, Rural Vermont - Invited

 

12:00 PM                   Lunch

 

1:00 PM                   Committee Discussion

 

1:50 PM                   Break

 

2:00 PM                   TBD

 

3:00 PM                   Adjourn

 

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

 Patricia Ruddy at Patricia.Ruddy@vtleg.gov