House Committee on Agriculture, Food Resiliency, and Forestry

 

AGENDA

 

Room 49 and Zoom

February 3, 2026 - February 6, 2026

Last Updated 2/6/2026 8:59 AM

 

Unless otherwise noted, all meetings are livestreamed at

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

Tuesday, February 3, 2026

10:00 AM                   House Floor

Followed by Caucuses

 

12:00 PM                   Lunch

 

1:00 PM                   Salvation Farms Update

Kelly Dolan, Director, Salvation Farms

Tony Risitano, Program Director, Salvation Farms

Kyle Moore, Nutritional Manager, Vermont Department of Corrections

 

2:00 PM                   Break

 

1:50 PM                   Working Lands Enterprise Initiative

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

Elizabeth Sipple, Working Lands Enterprise Initiative Program Staff, Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets

Clare Salerno, Working Lands Enterprise Initiative Program Staff, Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets

Alisha Utter, Vice-Chair, Working Lands Enterprise Initiative

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

 

3:50 PM                   Break

 

4:00 PM                   Municipal Regulation of Agriculture

Bill mark-up

Bradley Showman, Legislative Counsel, Office of Legislative Counsel

 

Wednesday, February 4, 2026

9:30 AM                   Review

House Ways & Means Committee Misc Tax Bill, Sections 3, 4, and 5

Kirby Keeton, Legislative Counsel, Office of Legislative Counsel

 

10:10 AM                   Wood Product Manufacturers report

Jamey Fidel, Vice President, Vermont, National Audubon Society/Audubon Vermont

 

10:40 AM                   Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation

Overview of FY2026 FPR budget

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

Steve Gomez, Chief Financial Officer, Agency of Natural Resources

 

11:45 AM                   Break

 

11:55 AM                   Benefit Assisters Proposal

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

Connie Beal, Working Bridges Initiative Director, United Way of Northwest Vermont

Ivy Enoch, Director of Policy and Advocacy, Hunger Free Vermont - Zoom

 

12:15 PM                   Lunch

 

1:10 PM                   Working Lands Coalition

Testimony of WLEI grantees

Elizabeth Sipple, Working Lands Enterprise Initiative Program Staff, Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets

David Keck, Legislative Chair, Vermont Grape & Wine Council

Claire Georges, Founder & CEO, Butterfly Bakery of Vermont

Miles Jenness, Owner, Vermont Heavy Timber LLC

Mischa Johnson, Co-owner, Free Verse Farm & Apothecary

 

3:05 PM                   Break

 

3:15 PM                   Miscellaneous Tax Bill

Jill Remick, Director of Property Valuation and Review, Department of Taxes

 

3:30 PM                   House Floor

 

Thursday, February 5, 2026

9:30 AM                   Soil Classification

Heather Darby, Associate Professor, UVM Extension

 

10:10 AM                   Committee Bill

Bill review and mark up, municipal regulation of agriculture

- possible committee vote

Bradley Showman, Legislative Counsel, Office of Legislative Counsel

 

11:10 AM                   Break

 

11:20 AM                   Herbicide Use

Herbicide use in the maintenance of electric utility rights of way

David Huber, Deputy Director, Public Health and Agriculture Resources Management Division, Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets

 

12:00 PM                   Lunch

 

1:00 PM                   3SquaresVT Awareness Day

Johanna Doren, Direct Markets and Local Food Access Program Director, NOFA-VT

Stoni Tomson, Owner, New Tradition Farm

Mark Montalban, Green Acres Homestead

Emmet Moseley, CVOEO, Feeding Champlain Valley

 

1:30 PM                   FY27 Budget

Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets

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

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

Amy Mercier, Financial Director, Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets

 

2:45 PM                   Break

 

3:00 PM                   Wood Product Manufacturers report

Janet Hurley, Chair, Land Use Review Board

Kirsten Sultan, Board Member, Land Use Review Board

Peter Gill, Executive Director, Land Use Review Board

 

3:30 PM                   House Floor

 

Friday, February 6, 2026

9:30 AM                   House Floor

 

After Floor                         Municipal Regulation of Agriculture

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

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

Graham Unangst-Rufenacht, Policy Director, Rural Vermont

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

Caroline Sherman-Gordon, Legislative Director, Rural Vermont

 

12:00 PM                   Lunch

 

1:00 PM                   Farm Service Agency Vermont

Updates

Wendy Wilton, State Executive Director, USDA Farm Service Agency

 

1:30 PM                   Animal Welfare

Daniel Batsie, Deputy Commissioner, Department of Public Safety

Lisa Milot, Director of Animal Welfare, Department of Public Safety

 

2:00 PM                   TBD

 

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