House Committee on Agriculture, Food Resiliency, and Forestry

 

AGENDA

 

Room 49 and Zoom

February 17, 2026 - February 20, 2026

Last Updated 2/20/2026 5:16 PM

 

Tuesday, February 17, 2026

10:00 AM                   House Floor and Caucuses

 

12:00 PM                   Lunch

 

1:00 PM                   FY2027 Budget

Request of NOFA

Maddie Kempner, Policy Director, NOFA-VT

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

 

1:30 PM                   Committee Discussion

 

2:00 PM                   H. 739 - An act relating to prohibiting the use and sale of the herbicide paraquat

Terrance Bradshaw, Associate Professor, University of Vermont Department of Agriculture, Landscape, and Environment

 

2:30 PM                   FY2027 Budget

Request of Serve Learn and Earn

Breck Knauft, Executive Director, Vermont Youth Conservation Corps - Invited

Kate Gluckman, Director, Serve Learn Earn

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

 

3:00 PM                   H. 403 - An act relating to fair labor standards and housing standards for agricultural workers

Walk-through

Sophie Zdatny, Legislative Counsel, Office of Legislative Counsel

 

4:00 PM                   Adjourn

 

Wednesday, February 18, 2026

9:00 AM                   FY27 Budget

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

 

9:35 AM                   Vermont Fairs and Field Days Association

Updates

Jackie Folsom, President, Vermont Fairs and Field Days Association

Scott Bushee, Bondville Fair

Jeff Goodwin, Caledonia County Fair

Lonna Kantorski, Vermont State Fair, Vermont State Fair

Tim Shea, Executive  Director, Champlain Valley Exposition

Jason Sicard, President, Orleans County Fair

 

10:20 AM                   Break

 

10:30 AM                   Committee Bill

Wood Products Manufacturing

Ellen Czajkowski, Legislative Counsel, Office of Legislative Counsel

 

11:15 AM                   H. 739 - An act relating to prohibiting the use and sale of the herbicide paraquat

Testimony of the Agency of Agriculture

Steve Dwinell, Director, Plant Industry Division, Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets

David Huber, Deputy Director, Plant Industry Division, Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets

 

12:00 PM                   Lunch

 

1:00 PM                   H. 739 - An act relating to prohibiting the use and sale of the herbicide paraquat

Prof. David Mortensen, Ph.D., Emeritus Professor, Agroecology, UNH-Durham

 

2:10 PM                   H. 536 - An act relating to toxic heavy metals in baby food products

Testimony

Randall Querry, Director of Government Relations, American Association for Laboratory Accreditation - Zoom

 

2:50 PM                   FY27 Budget

Request of Vermont Food Bank

Carrie Stahler, Senior Government Affairs Manager, Vermont Foodbank

 

3:30 PM                   House Floor

 

Thursday, February 19, 2026

9:00 AM                   House Floor

 

-                                   Caucus of the Whole

State of the Guard Presentation

 

10:30 AM                   Joint Assembly

Election of the VSC Trustees and Adjutant and Inspector General

 

12:00 PM                   Lunch

 

1:00 PM                   Committee Budget Letter

Committee discussion

 

2:00 PM                   Break

 

2:10 PM                   H. 536 - An act relating to toxic heavy metals in baby food products

Tom Neltner, National Director, Unleaded Kids - Zoom

 

2:40 PM                   H. 536 - An act relating to toxic heavy metals in baby food products

Brian Ronholm, Director, Food Policy, Consumer Reports - Zoom

 

3:30 PM                   House Floor

 

Friday, February 20, 2026

9:30 AM                   House Floor

 

10:30 AM                   FY2027 Budget

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

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

 

11:00 AM                   H. 536 - An act relating to toxic heavy metals in baby food products

VAEL testimony

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

 

11:30 AM                   H. 403 - An act relating to fair labor standards and housing standards for agricultural workers

Testimony of Migrant Justice

Will Lambek, Organizer, Migrant Justice/Justicia Migrante

Abel Luna, Member, Migrant Justice/Justicia Migrante

 

12:00 PM                   Lunch

 

1:00 PM                   H. 403 - An act relating to fair labor standards and housing standards for agricultural workers

Testimony of the Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets

David Huber, Deputy Director, Plant Industry Division, Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets

 

1:30 PM                   Committee Bill

Wood products manufacturing

Ellen Czajkowski, Legislative Counsel, Office of Legislative Counsel

Janet Hurley, Chair, Land Use Review Board

Kirsten Sultan, Board Member, Land Use Review Board

 

2:00 PM                   H. 536 - An act relating to toxic heavy metals in baby food products

Testimony of the Department of Health

Julie Arel, Deputy Commissioner, Department of Health

Andrea Kirk, State Toxicologist

 

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