• The Farm to School program will receive an additional $50,000 in fiscal year 2019; 
• Vermont Working Lands Enterprise program will receive an additional $106,000 in fiscal year 2019; 
• Vermont will provide a minimum of $600, not to exceed total premium paid, to dairy producers to        offset costs for participation in the 2018 Federal Margin Protection Program. The AAFM will                administer the reimbursement grant program.  Total funds allocated are $450,000. 
• Vermont Housing and Conservation Board will receive, $75,000, to continue to provide grant writing assistance for rural development. 
• The Vermont Economic Development Authority (VEDA) received $250,000 to be used by VEDA’s agricultural subsidiary the Vermont Agricultural Credit Corporation (VACC) for a loss reserve in the 2018 Farm Operating Program, which provides Vermont cow dairy farmers with long-term loans for operating expenses.  

• Amends the authority of the Rural Economic Development Initiative to focus on providing grant assistance in small towns and rural areas; 
• Requires the AAFM to go through rulemaking to establish a process to certify nutrient management technical service providers; 
• Grants AAFM authority to enforce FDA's produce safety rules; and 
• Amends livestock transport law to provide greater clarity to producers. 

• Authorizes and limits municipal land use regulation of an "accessory on-farm business" as defined in the law; 
• Amends industrial hemp law by creating a pilot program for research, cultivation, and marketing; and 
• Allows registered industrial hemp growers to purchase hemps seeds or import hemp genetics from any state that complies with federal requirements for the cultivation of industrial hemp. 
• Gives authority to the AAFM to establish a cannabis quality control program to test for potency, containments and verify label guarantees of hemp and hemp infused products, and to certify other testing laboratories.

• Renames the Clean Water Fund Board to the Clean Water Board and increases membership on the Board; 
• Directs that state agencies coordinated water quality grant awards; 
• Directs AAFM to coordinate with ANR on the development and implementation of a response plan to a designated lake in crisis, enforce relevant agricultural requirements therein, and provide financial assistance for agricultural compliance with the lake in crisis order; and  
• Directs the AAFM to report on the future of farming practices. 

This summer, in Washington D.C., Congress is debating the national 2018 Farm Bill, one of the most important policy decisions of the decade. It’s a critical piece of legislation that will define the priorities for the next five years for the agriculture economy in Vermont, and the nation.

The Farm Bill also includes a host of programs that will improve the environment.  Conservation programs are critical to Vermont farmers and the state’s natural beauty. Farmers are focused on bettering our natural environment and are investing in best management practices - but it’s not possible to do it alone. The proposed Farm Bill offers critical financial and policy support that will prevent runoff and lead to cleaner water. 

The Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets and our partners have been working closely with Vermont’s congressional delegation on a host of issues that are important to Vermont. The Vermont Milk Commission sent a series of recommendations to Senators Leahy and Sanders, and Congressman Welch. We are pleased to report that some of those suggestions are included in the proposed legislation, including a suggestion regarding dairy risk coverage. Also, as Senator Patrick Leahy led the charge in recent improvements to the Margin Protection Program, Governor Phil Scott and Vermont’s legislative leaders at the same time demonstrated Vermont’s support by putting $450,000 from state funds into the program. As dairy farmers struggle with low prices for their milk this credit helps offer relief by partially paying for premiums. These improvements and more are included in the 2018 Farm Bill, offering critical support as farmers weather one of the most difficult economic storms in decades.

Improving the rural economy is also part of the proposed farm bill. Small, rural farms are feeding the nation. The Senate Farm bill supports local food programs, specialty food producers and our maple industry while making investments in research and product development, all of which are tied to country businesses, including so many in Vermont.

Vermont is also leading the way to new ground that has been undiscovered by federal regulators. We are planting new crops and building on innovation to grow businesses. In 2018, the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets registered nearly 300 hemp farmers with more than 2,000 acres in production. Hemp could offer Vermont farmers a new source of income by turning the durable plant into food, fiber or fuel. A law signed by Governor Scott this year will build upon this hemp program in Vermont allowing more seeds to be imported to the Green Mountain State. But we need help from Washington D.C.: Vermont is demanding that Congress remove hemp from the federal list of controlled substances. This critical change would allow Vermont farmers to focus more of their energy into farming without worrying about their crops coming up against justice department regulations.

These are just a few of the headlines from the Senate’s proposed 2018 Farm Bill. Support for nutrition programs or helping our organic farmers would also go a long way; there are many more elements that will help our economy.

We appreciate our partners and Vermont’s Congressional delegation, all of whom have helped advance the 2018 Farm Bill. We advocate for this bill to become law because it builds upon our priorities in Vermont: Making Vermont more affordable, improving our economy and protecting the state’s most vulnerable.  Washington D.C. is listening and we are confident that they stand ready to help rural America, and rural Vermont, continue to innovate and succeed.