We are stronger and more vibrant when we live and work in solidarity with one another
Every Vermont farmer should have equal right to prosper
Farming can heal the land
Farmers are health care providers
All Vermonters should have access to locally produced, nutrient dense food
Healthy soil makes healthy humans
H. 401 is a bill that seeks to affect VT's "cottage food" laws, which regulate non-licensed home kitchen-based food manufacturers and bakeries. This bill would raise the "cottage food" gross income caps (which are a threshold for licensure for non-licensed home kitchen-based food manufacturers and bakeries) from $10,000 and $6,500 respectively, to $30,000 gross sales for both. In comparison, according to the Institute for Justice, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, and New York do not have an annual sales cap at all. In Wyoming, the annual sales cap is $250K for cottage foods.
Rural Vermont has created a survey that seeks to: inform our advocacy on H.401 and other legislation that may affect cottage foods producers and eaters; grow our understanding of the types and scales of cottage food and value-added businesses in VT; to assess people’s experiences with the cottage food laws, and tiered value-added products regulations in VT; to provide some basic information for people about current laws and regulations; to get proposals and feedback on particular options for improving the laws, regulations, and technical support; and to support organizing people who would like to participate in advocacy and more discussion about how to amend the laws. There is space in this survey for participants to explicitly note if they are interested in testifying on H.401 in the State House.
*Individuals' identifying information from this survey will be kept private, and information gathered and presented will be done in such a way as to preserve the anonymity of respondents to the best of our ability.
Set yourself up for a successful outdoor 2025 season! Join Vermont Growers Association, Rural Vermont, and Ben Wilcox of Off Piste Farm, a licensed Tier 1 Outdoor Cultivator, in the Northeast Kingdom on Saturday, April 5th from 10am - 1pm for a cannabis pre-season planning and prep workshop. Founded in 2015 in the NEK, Ben is committed to growing high-quality, sun-grown cannabis. Off Piste’s mission is to grow and produce the highest quality products possible, with as little negative impact on the environment and ecosystem as possible, while supporting the local economy as much as possible. Off Piste uses locally sourced organic inputs and materials, works with other small, independent, locally owned businesses as much as possible, and uses off-grid solar power to generate their own electricity.
Each year, Rural Vermont invites our farmer members and ally organizations to learn about and engage in the legislative process, advocacy, and pending policy during the legislative session. This event series offers farmers and the agrarian community at large - homesteaders, gardeners, (urban) farmers, medicine makers, and food activists alike - opportunities to speak with lawmakers, voice their real-life issues, and to empowerment from learning more about the legislative process. In 2025, we’ll be hosting two Small Farm Action Days at the Vermont State House in Montpelier: Wed., March 26 & Wed., April 23.
The new federal administration is unleashing a shock and awe campaign against the institutions and norms of US government and democracy, and is threatening and actualizing persecution of our neighbors and deep instability for our farms and communities. Executive Orders and dehumanizing narratives have targeted immigrants, transgender and gender non-conforming people, communities of color, as well as people affected by Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives and programs. The January 20 Executive Order that placed a freeze on spending authorized by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act has been broadly felt through the farming community. Funding for many NRCS and USDA programs are funded by those laws, and the impacts have been compounded by the monumental overhaul in federal staffing and structure. Subsequent court rulings have stated that the funding freeze cannot continue, though uncertainty remains if court decisions will be followed or enforced. The New York Times reported that over 2,600 programs were temporarily paused. Sen. Welch, speaking at the NOFA VT conference this past weekend said, “I'm often asked if things are as bad as they look. I’m here to tell you they are much, much worse”.
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“The continuous and often brilliant efforts that Rural Vermont provides to our agricultural community, by not only exploring the impacts of current research, policies and politics on that community, but also speaking out to those that create those policies so they might be better informed about what they are doing. This is a key role for the Vermont community at large if we are to keep our working landscape and its farmers successful.”
