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The Future of Vermont Dairy - A Listening Tour

Early 2025 will kick-off a new opportunity for those involved in our state's dairy industry to express their thoughts, concerns, ideas and hopes about the future of Vermont dairy.  The Agency is launching these new listening sessions because we want to hear directly from dairy stakeholders, farmers and processors, to understand your perspectives and visions for the future of dairy in Vermont. Agency leadership looks forward to hearing and engaging in conversations with the dairy community across the state that can lead to new, actionable ideas for the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets. 

At all times, it is also important to the Agency that the Vermont dairy community feels heard and respected.  These listening sessions will be constructed so that every individual who has an interest in participating has an opportunity to access a meeting or provide feedback. Along with various leaders of the Agency, all meetings will be facilitated by the Dairy Strategy and Innovation Manager, Laura Ginsburg.  Each meeting will include a working portion focused on putting ideas into short-term, near-term, and long-term priority levels.

See below for a schedule of virtual sessions occurring in late April/May.  Virtual sessions will be offered for particular dairy focus groups such as young/beginning dairy farmers, goat and sheep dairy farmers, dairy processors, and a general dairy audience.  More information will be found on this webpage for each virtual session by mid-April, so please check back.

At the conclusion of these listening sessions, the Agency will be using the anonymous ideas and data provided to develop a report that can support the Agency's future dairy policy discussions, efforts and initiatives.

Please join us at one of the following meetings:

Date

Day

County

Location

Time 

March 7

Friday

Grand Isle

Sheriffs Dept conference room – 10 Island Circle, Grand Isle, VT

9:30-11:30

March 7

Friday

Franklin

City Hall - 100 N Main St, St Albans City, VT 05478

1:00 - 3:00

March 17

Monday

Addison

American Legion of Middlebury
49 Wilson Rd, Middlebury, VT 05753

9:30 - 11:30

March 17

Monday

Rutland

TBD

1:30 - 3:30

March 18

Tuesday

Bennington

225 Northside Dr, Bennington, VT 05201

9:30 - 11:30

March 27

Thursday

Windsor

Ludlow American Legion

9:30-11:30

March 27

Thursday

Windham

Brattleboro State office building - 232 Main St. Brattleboro

1:00 - 3:00

March 28

Friday

Orange

Randolph Town Clerk office - 7 Summer St, Randolph

9:00 - 11:00

April 7

Monday

Caledonia

UVM EXT 374 Emerson Falls Road, Suite 1, St. Johnsbury

9:30 - 11:30

April 7

Monday

Orleans

Newport Legion upstairs 35 Veterans Ave, Newport, VT

1:00 - 3:00

April 8

Tuesday

Essex

Guildhall Guildhall Town Clerk 13 Courthouse Drive Guildhall, VT

9:30 - 11:30

April 14

Monday

Washington

Waterbury State complex – 280 State Dr. Waterbury

9:30 - 11:30

April 14

Monday

Chittenden

TBD

1:00 - 3:00

April 15

Tuesday

Addison

American Legion of Middlebury
49 Wilson Rd, Middlebury, VT 05753

9:30 - 11:30

April 17

Thursday

Franklin

City Hall - 100 N Main St, St Albans City, VT 05478

1:00 - 3:00

April 24

Thursday

Lamoille

Green Mountain Tech Center - 738 VT-15, Hyde Park, VT 05655

9:30 - 11:30

Virtual Sessions with Specific Focus Group

Date Day Time Focus Group
April 28 Monday 12:00 - 2pm Sheep and Goat
May 1 Thursday 6:00 - 8:00 pm Processors
May 7 Wednesday 12:00 - 2pm Young and Beginning
May 8 Thursday 12:00 - 2pm General Public