House Committee on Agriculture, Food Resiliency, and Forestry Agenda

House Committee on Agriculture, Food Resiliency, and Forestry

AGENDA

Room 49 and Zoom

February 18, 2025 - February 21, 2025

Last Updated 2/21/2025 2:56 PM

Unless otherwise noted, all meetings are livestreamed at

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

Tuesday, February 18, 2025

10:00 AM House Floor and Caucuses

12:00 PM Lunch

1:00 PM Budget Presentation

Agency of Agriculture

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

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

2:00 PM Break

2:15 PM H. 134 - An act relating to calculating land use change tax and creating a new land use change tax exemption for developing affordable housing

Introduction, Walk-through

Rep. Charles Kimbell, Sponsor

Kirby Keaton, Legislative Counsel, Department of Taxes

3:00 PM Miscellaneous Agriculture Bill

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

3:30 PM Adjourn

Wednesday, February 19, 2025

9:00 AM H. 229 - An act relating to establishing the Farm and Forestry Operations Security Special Fund to provide grants for losses to farms and forestry operations due to weather conditions

Introduction

Rep. Mollie S. Burke, Sponsor

9:30 AM Vermont Fairs

Bob Allen, Member, Vermont Agricultural Fairs Association

Robert Congdon, Vermont State Fair (Rutland)

Sheila Martin, Orleans County Fair

Randy Beams, Lamoille Field Days

Peggy Sherlock, Tunbridge Fair

Ken Button, Addison County Fair and Field Days

10:30 AM Break

10:45 AM Working Lands Enterprise Initiative

Grant award winners report back

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

Annie Myers, Owner, Myers Produce LLC

Rose Thackeray, Owner, Union Brook Farm

Mark Goodridge, Partial Owner, Goodridge Lumber

12:00 PM Lunch

1:00 PM Budget Request

Vermont Foodbank

John Sayles, CEO, Vermont Foodbank

1:50 PM Forest Management for State Land

Jim Duncan, State Lands Manager, Forest Parks and Recreation

2:50 PM Adjourn

3:00 PM House Floor

Thursday, February 20, 2025

9:00 AM H. 167 - An act relating to establishing the Vermonters Feeding Vermonters Grant at the Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets

Agency of Agriculture Testimony

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

Trevor Lowell, Assistant Director, Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets

9:30 AM Center for Agriculture and Food Entrepreneurship

Vermont State University Update

Glenn Evans, Executive Director, Center for Agriculture and Food Entrepreneurship, Vermont State University

DeMetris Reed, Meat Facility Director, Center for Agriculture and Food Entrepreneurship, Vermont State University

10:30 AM Joint Assembly

Election of Sergeant at Arms and UVM Trustees

12:00 PM Lunch

1:00 PM Vermont Vegetable and Berry Association

Introductions

Vern Grubinger, Vegetable and Berry Specialist

1:45 PM Break

2:00 PM Animal Cruelty Investigation Advisory Board Annual Report

Erika Holm, Co-Executive Director, Programs and Operations, Central Vermont Humane Society, and Chair, Animal Cruelty Investigation Advisory Board

2:50 PM Adjourn

3:00 PM House Floor

Friday, February 21, 2025

9:30 AM House Floor

10:30 AM Working Lands Coalition

Denise Smith, Executive Director, VT Council on Rural Development

Ellen Kahler, Executive Director, Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund

11:00 AM Budget Presentation

Forest Parks and Recreation

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

Ansley Bloomer, Director of Finance and Administration, Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation

11:30 AM H. 291 - An act relating to enrollment of posted land in the Use Value Appraisal Program

Introduction

Rep. James Masland, Sponsor

Rep. Charles Kimbell, Sponsor

11:45 AM H. 273 - An act relating to the Use Value Appraisal Program

Introduction

Rep. Gregory "Greg" Burtt, Sponsor

12:00 PM Lunch

1:00 PM H. 273 - An act relating to the Use Value Appraisal Program

Walk-through

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

1:15 PM H. 291 - An act relating to enrollment of posted land in the Use Value Appraisal Program

Walk-through

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

1:30 PM Governor’s Proposed FY2026 Budget

Reviewing the proposal for the concentrated animals feeding operation database project and contractor support

Bethany Sargent, Deputy Director, Watershed Management Division

2:00 PM 3SquaresVT Update

Department of Children and Families

Miranda Gray, Deputy Commissioner, Economic Services Division, Department for Children and Families

Leslie Wisdom, Food & Nutrition Program Director, Department for Children and Families

2:50 PM Committee Discussion

FY26 Budget Discussion

3:15 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

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