Working Lands

The Committee on Agriculture, Food Resiliency, and Forestry passed two bills that support farmers and working lands.

H.603 (An act relating to the poultry slaughter exception to inspection) which the House passed on a unanimous voice vote, aims to expand revenue options for poultry farmers who have previously been limited to selling whole birds due to inspection requirements for on-farm slaughter. The bill will allow farmers to sell parts of their birds at farmers markets, on the farm, and directly to customers or restaurants. Allowing farmers to package birds by breast, legs, thighs, and wings better aligns with consumer demand and is more profitable for the farmer without any additional impact to the environment.

The committee also voted unanimously in favor of H.614 (An act relating to land improvement fraud and timber trespass),which protects homeowners from timber theft. The bill aims to stop unscrupulous loggers who take advantage of landowners by offering to cut down trees and promising a share of the harvest profits. The money is seldom retrieved and whole parcels are often clear cut without permission. The bill was sent to House Judiciary, where it also received a favorable vote.

 

School Meals: A Win-Win for Students and Farmers

The pandemic and rising prices have resulted in record numbers of food-insecure families. Universal School Meals, enacted in 2023 to provide free lunch and breakfast to all Vermont students, has been hugely successful by several measures. The program has high participation rates among low-income students, so it is reducing child hunger. It is costing less than expected due in part to federal rule changes. Additionally, it complements the Local Foods Incentive Grant, which encourages school districts to buy ingredients from Vermont farms. The higher the percentage of local food purchased, the more a school district will be reimbursed by the state. This is a win-win for farmers and students.

The committee also is addressing food resiliency and school nutrition education with H.550 (An act relating to expanding eligibility under the local foods grant program). This bill would expand educational activities around farming, nutrition, and farm-to-school food preparation, helping kids to understand where their food comes from through hands-on projects like school gardens and even poultry farming. Considering the average age of Vermont farmers is over 60, getting kids excited about farming is a great idea.

 

Protecting Pollinators

Neonicotinoids are insecticides introduced in the 1990s that have proven to be highly toxic to bees and other pollinators. Neonicotinoids are used to prevent crop damage in a wide variety of grains, vegetables, fruits, and turf grass, either by spraying or by coating seeds with the insecticide before planting. Treated seeds may release dust that can make its way into ground and surface water, and the plants can contain toxic levels of neonicotinoids in their leaves and pollen.  This leads to increased risks to birds, bees, and other insects, even at the 1-part-per-billion level. Neonicotinoids are also used on golf courses to keep grubs at bay and the greens and fairways pristine.

H.706 (An act relating to banning the use of neonicotinoid pesticides) would ultimately ban the use of neonic-treated seeds and most other applications. Extensive research indicates no significant crop yield loss when substituting untreated seeds. Quebec banned neonicotinoids in 2019, and New York State will begin phasing them out in 2027. By following the lead of our larger neighbor to the west, farmers should have access to a full complement of untreated seed varieties when the ban takes effect in Vermont.