“The value of a great corn crop on a good year would net a farmer $400 an acre. I’ve heard values on solar rent paid to the farmer up to $2,000 per acre,” Nelson said.
Bill includes value of farmland in solar permitting
Klar: MAHA scores major Congressional ‘win’ against Big Chem.
But will SCOTUS Intervene on behalf of pesticide manufacturers?
Klar, Murray named to Vermont Farm Service Agency
Members of the FSA state committee are appointed by Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins and, in support of the Trump Administration’s Farmers First commitment, members of the FSA state committee are responsible for the oversight of farm programs and county committee operations, resolving program delivery appeals from the agriculture community, maintaining cooperative relations with industry stakeholders and keeping producers informed about current FSA programs.
18 states impose SNAP bans on soda and candy as Vermont boosts healthy food incentives
While a large portion of the country is moving toward restricting choices, Vermont has chosen a distinct path.
A “dairy town” no more
It may be home to Ben & Jerry’s Factory Store, but Waterbury’s last three dairy farms were driven out of business. Their former owners struggle to let go.
Klar: There was an old lady…
My presentation on grass-fed meats.
Ben & Jerry’s #1 in industrial wastewater violations
Major dairy processors and manufacturers accumulated hundreds of permit violations in 2024 while state regulators emphasize “partnership” over enforcement.
Liberty Food Fest in Bellows Falls this weekend
The event in the Opera House will feature vendors, demonstrations, and a full lineup of speakers and films Friday and Saturday.
Waitsfield butcher featured in Food and Wine Magazine article about best value steaks
Joshua Turka of 5th Quarter Butcher and Provisions offers guidance as beef prices hit record highs
Epoch Times profiles MAHA advocate John Klar
If you follow Vermont news, you know John Klar. Now the rest of the world is getting to know him, too.
House Agriculture to meet Friday re: shutdown, adverse weather impacts
Scheduled to participate are the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets, NOFA-VT, the Vermont Farm Bureau, Migrant Justice, the Vermont Foodbank, and the Professional Logging Contractors of the Northeast.
Small farmers turning to new tech tools
A new wave of agritech tools — from maple monitors to virtual fences — is revolutionizing how small farms manage labor, costs, and climate challenges.
Soulia: Are Vermont farms’ tile drains about to become expensive Federal pollution pipes?
A pair of environmental nonprofits are threatening to sue one of Vermont’s largest dairies for allegedly polluting Dead Creek, a tributary of Lake Champlain — but the dispute could reach far beyond a single Addison County farm. If the Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) and Vermont Natural Resources Council (VNRC) prevail, their interpretation of the Clean Water Act could redefine how nearly every Vermont farm manages its land and water.
UVM announces crackdown on fraudulent maple syrup
Vermont’s Extension Maple Program has been awarded a grant from the Leahy Institute for Rural Partnerships to prevent farmers from misrepresenting the grade of their maple syrup.
Even the lobsters prefer Canada these days
The ultimate destination for these climate-migrating lobsters is north, into the cooler, more stable waters of Canada.
Is a Congressional power play about to end Vermont’s hemp industry?
A federal ban would override Vermont’s carefully crafted state system. The “total THC” rule could make much of the hemp grown by Vermont farmers illegal overnight.
St. Albans dairy strike strikes at heart of national power struggle
The walkout was targeted at a facility already weakened by legal and environmental troubles, and it employs a sophisticated legal strategy that could have consequences for workers across the country.
Giant pumpkin squashes past record at Sam Mazza’s weigh-off
Growers gathered at Sam Mazza’s Farm last Saturday to see who had the biggest pumpkin.
Vermont Dairy 4-Hers bring home ribbons and respect from the Big E!
Vermont 4-H youth showcased their talents, dedication and prize livestock at the 2025 Eastern States Exposition, better known as The Big E, held in West Springfield, Massachusetts. They brought home enough ribbons to fill a milk can – or two.
Wagyu beef, produced in Vermont
Terroir (natural environment) is a cornerstone of the wine world. A growing number of farmers and chefs argue it’s just as crucial for raising meat, and Vermont is seen as ideal.
Compass Vermont: Family vows to rebuild after losing nearly 100 farm animals
On Sunday, April 6, 2025, while the Nodes family of Barre Town, Vermont, attended church with their nine children, a fire broke out on their farm.
Agritourism brings second income to Vermont farmers
“They were lying on top of the hay bales staring up at the sky, watching for shooting stars.”
Shelburne Farms tour offers a nitty-gritty closeup of cheddar-making
Watching the cheddar cheese–making process is the centerpoint of Shelburne Farms’ “Sun to Cheese” tour, which opened May 10 and runs into October.
84,924 acres of Vermont farmland foreign-owned, feds say
Not surprisingly, concentration of foreign ownership is highest in Vermont’s three largest agriculture producers, Franklin, Orleans, and Addison counties.
The untold history of genetic modification
The artificial split between “genetically modified” and “natural” foods obscures reality: all domesticated species result from human-directed genetic change. The choice isn’t between “natural” and “artificial” foods, but between different methods of genetic modification.
The surprising shifts climate change is bringing to Vermont farms
Vermonters turn climate uncertainty into new opportunity.
Klar: New York bill limiting cows sparks farmer revolt
Big city sponsors face off against rural dairies.
Klar: Chemical-drenched corn is not MAHA-friendly
Mine is not a left-wing voice of animal rights idealism or return-to-the-land idyllicism. This is just plain old real science.
Despathy: Solar panels Vermont’s new sacred cow
In 1925, Vermont had over 3.3 million acres of agricultural land. Fast forward to 2022 and this number has dwindled to 543,096 acres.
Supreme Court enforces Essex Jct. zoning outlawing cannabis-duck farm
The case involved landowner Jason Struthers, who raises and sells ducks and duck eggs, and also operates a licensed outdoor cannabis growing operation at his property.
Klar: The battle over lab-grown meat heats up
Texas ban raises stakes for fake-steak makers.
How tariffs could hurt or help Vermont agriculture
The state’s agriculture industries are paying close attention to prices on products they use.
Klar: Are courts doing enough to protect public health?
Given the history of American courts shielding corporations from liability for harms caused by their products — and the growing distrust of the federal agencies charged with protecting public health above corporate profits — Americans are right to question whether their judicial system is designed to keep them safe.
Klar: What makes Vermont special is farming
There is more farm art than farming in Vermont these days. It is as if the surreal has replaced the real; idyllic sentimentality has displaced the farming culture.
Klar: Record high beef prices and a dwindling cattle supply
Assessing the future of American cattle herds.
‘Migra, migra,’ Berkshire farm workers yell when they see Border Patrol, eyewitness says
“We saw a bunch of men running, yelling, ‘Migra, Migra,'” Reighley said.
BREAKING: Feds raid biggest dairy farm in Vermont, arrest migrant workers
Border Patrol saw three migrant workers walking down the driveway on the premises of the farm. The agents then pursued the migrants through the milking parlor.
Klar: A chance to support a Vermont farm in tragedy
A tragic barn fire offers an opportunity to express farmer support
Shelburne Farms tests biochar’s potential to reduce methane emissions
Shelburne Farms is experimenting with a charcoal-like material known as biochar in its dairy operations as part of reaching a net-zero emissions goal.
Farmer-led project gets grant to recycle agricultural plastics
Guy Crosby collects plastic waste from farms and brings them to a landfill in New Hampshire, where they are compacted into a bale.
Klar: AI agriculture boosts soil, crops, and human health
Potato study shows drone surveillance can boost natural results.
Soulia: VT lawmakers target farmers instead of pushing back against the Feds
If lawmakers truly want to stand up for Vermont’s future, they need to stop caving to EPA pressure and start holding Washington accountable.
Klar: Rural Vermont attacks Trump policies for federal workers
Helping farmers, or federal bureaucrats?
Senate Ag may reconsider seed ban passed last year over guv’s veto
Some committee members said they would like to revisit the ban on neonicotinoid-treated seeds, set to take effect in Vermont in 2029. The Legislature last year passed Act 182 by overriding a veto by Gov. Phil Scott.
Ingalls: VT needs Guest Worker program for immigrant farm laborers
Farmers fear what could happen in the blink of an eye to the workers they have now.
Vermont has history of farming cooperatively, not corporately
Three dozen corporations now exert overwhelming control over agricultural input manufacturing and food distribution. ‘Twas not always so.
Newbury saffron farm sustains vision of experimentation
About half the shares of Calabash Gardens are owned by family and friends, and 39% are owned by people of color.
Klar: New USDA guidelines will sicken us
The new regulations advocate “reducing focus on chronic disease risk reduction” and more on “improving the lifespan.”
VT Humane: File charges over slaughterhouse cruelty
The most recent animal cruelty reports, .documented by a federal inspector at the Vermont Packinghouse in N. Springfield, VT, should result in criminal charges.
Klar: A rebuttal to letter attacking Liberty Food Festival
Jenevra Wetmore of Strafford wrote that this year’s December 12-14th Liberty Food Fest in Bellows Falls should be banned from the Opera House.
Legislative committee OKs state minimum wage for farm workers, including migrants
The committee hasn’t decided – yet – to recommend extending the state minimum wage to illegal immigrant farm workers as well.
Klar: USDA choice displays savvy Trump cabinet strategy
Raised in rural Texas and involved in small-scale cow husbandry, Rollins’ 15 years as president of the conservative think tank Texas Public Policy Foundation blends farming grit with a proven track record of professional management.
Secretary Tebbetts Op-Ed: The season for thanks
We are fortunate in Vermont to have extraordinary food and beverages in every corner of our state. This time of year, we enjoy feasts with fresh local veggies, meat, dairy, and specialty food and beverages made right here in Vermont.
Gov. Scott: Trump plan to deport 17 million illegal immigrants is “unrealistic”
Scott said of Trump: “I don’t see that what he has proposed is realistic and I would have to think that those who are coming into power with him would understand.”
Allbee: Immigrants essential to U.S., Vermont food system
In the food processing sector alone, immigrants account for 35% of meat processing workers, 34% of workers in commercial bakeries, 30% of the labor in fruit and vegetable processing, and 25% of workers in seafood and other food processing
Court appeal coming for Essex Junction weed and ducks case
In court papers from August, Walsh reasoned that Struthers’ duck raising is exempt from municipal regulation because it is a necessary farming practice protected by state law. They also reasoned his weed cultivation is protected by his license and exempt from local regulation.
Dairy workers report unsafe work, low pay in Migrant Justice study
Out of over 200 migrant dairy workers surveyed in Vermont this year, 77% say they have suffered an accident or injury at work and 87% make lower than the minimum wage, according to a report published recently by advocacy group Migrant Justice.
Brooke Ence Is Creating a ‘Parallel’ Food Economy in US
In response to what Ence calls the centralization of America’s food production system, Ence, an entrepreneur, social media influencer, and former famed CrossFit athlete, together with A.J. Richards founded From The Farm, a company aiming to connect Americans directly to small farmers and ranchers across America.
Heffernan: More weatherization sensible remedy to Clean Heat chaos
There is a reasonable, affordable and reputable solution. Expand what Vermont already has…the Vermont Weatherization Assistance Program (W.A.P.).
Klar: In Pursuit of Hay
I work hard writing on the computer with my brain while my body atrophies. Farming and collecting winter feed is my gym membership, my therapy, and my social circle.
Farmer needs building permit to put up more than two political signs, town official says
“Since there are more than two (2) signs posted on your property a building permit is required,” the Bullis Family Farm was told.
Shelburne farm hosts fundraiser to help Latin America farmers
Farmers in Vermont and in Latin America face many of the same challenges, and events like the picnic help make that connection for people here, organizer said.
Butterworks Farm acquired by new owners, preserving organic dairy legacy
Butterworks Farm has been acquired by Anthony Calderaro, Ania Kuniej, and Joseph Calderaro, the farm recently announced.
Klar: America’s shrinking farmland threatens food security
Solar panel fields have been reclassified as farms.
UVM taps Tim Rademacher to lead research at Proctor Maple Research Center
New Science Director brings research excellence, tech savvy, and a love of maple syrup
Klar: No, solar panels are not farmland
Government counts solar panel arrays as agricultural lands.
CVU students open farmstand with sustainability in mind
“We’re trying to start small and tackle this issue,” said a junior involved in the effort. “It’s hard to see the world destructing and not take action.”
In Vermont vineyards, grape growers take a healing tack
A number of Vermont vineyards and wineries practice regenerative agriculture — that goes beyond minimizing farming’s costs on land to instead help restore it.
Essex County potato farm loses 40% of crop to flooding
We don’t have hard figures yet but safe to say losses will be substantial again,” Agency Secretary Anson Tebbetts responded to a VDC inquiry today.
Klar: Fake meats for US troops
Corporations to use American soldiers as guinea pigs for cell-grown meats.
Modern seeds aren’t ready for changing climate
In a changing climate, smallholder farmers hold the key to feeding the world: adapting our seeds, UVM evolutionary biologist Yolanda Chen says
Klar: Furor over fake-meat bans?
Banning and labeling cell-cultured meats take a political controversy to boiling point.
State recognizes local foods incentive grantees
The Local Foods Incentive Grant program established in 2021 to encourage schools’ buying of local products.
Leaving Big Pharma for mushroom farming, Wiseman family finds purpose in Worcester
The products, the Wisemans say, can boost immune systems, improve memory and energy and spur a range of other healthy body functions.
Klar: Tyson Foods and water pollution
The environmental costs of food production. Biden’s “Social Justice” undermines food supplies
Beekeeper abuzz about vetoed neonicotinoid ban
It is increasingly more expensive to keep and repopulate his hives, the vetoed bill’s sponsor said, because colonies are dying at faster rates in recent years.
Chicken predation and how to protect them
Many first-time small-scale poultry farmers are discovering that several species of wildlife like the taste of chicken as much as we do.
Pesticide ban won’t help bees but will hurt farmers, Scott veto says
Agreeing that “pollinators are essential,” Gov. Scott said “the same is true of farmers” and that the bill is “more anti-farmer than it is pro-pollinator.”
Klar: White farmers matter!
“Natural disasters don’t discriminate. Neither should USDA.”
Hey, Vermont – Africa’s getting clobbered with ‘global warming solutions,’ too
Growing food on a continent where hunger is still a reality for many, an African farmer calls out EU error and hypocrisy for criticizing fossil-fuel fertilizer.
Klar: New SEC climate rules are burdensome–but are they Constitutional?
Abusing power to strangle farms and the economy.
Malone: EPA threatens locally produced beef
Mission Creep: Proposed EPA rule shuts down small meat producers
Vermont’s senators pitch bill to create extreme weather insurance for farms
In a survey by the state after last summer’s flooding, 70% of farmers said they didn’t have crop or livestock insurance.
Klar: China won’t buy American wheat
China favors Russian wheat over American.
Klar: Let’s get cows, and our food supply system, right-side-up
Curiously, the cow-concerned want to exterminate cows from the planet, and humanity’s only shot at preventing desertification and starvation along with them.
Klar: The real threat to your way of life
Why famine and food shortages grow more likely each day…in America!
Vermont farmers urge senators to not chicken out of passing poultry inspection bill
By meeting a slew of conditions, producers wouldn’t need inspections to sell raw chicken products from the farm, at farmers markets or to restaurants in VT.
Klar: The biggest climate lie is about cows
If regenerative animal husbandry is eliminated, the chemical spigot will open fully wide to produce “meat alternatives”, destroying our bodies and our planet.
Durgin: Bill helps dairy farmers switch crops
Crop transitions aren’t easy and governments should provide support and assistance.
Klar: Beef prices just jumped over the Moon: here’s why
A few pennies along the way to the market equal bloated food budgets in 2024.
Stormwater regs will put county fairs out of business, Senate told
Stormwater permit compliance will cost up to $1 million per county fair. “You just can’t make that kind of money up at the fairground,” Folsom said.
Klar: More cows needed to reverse climate change, experts say
Scientists are speaking up for beef.
Bill would require farmers to house workers hired via state-run directory
No other state-funded employment directory requires employers to house workers hired under its auspices.
When a fire displaced 400 cows in Sheldon, farmers and friends stepped up to help
About 75 cows died after a fire broke Jan. 20 and turned a 400-foot-long barn into a pile of rubble and ash.
Wilson: Chicken slaughter bill a bright spot
Not every bill in the Legislature is a bad idea…..
Klar: A tale of two billionaire farmers
What Mark Zuckerberg’s cows tell us.
Worker shortage stops delivery of Cabot cheese
Products as small as the cracker cuts and as big as the three-pound blocks will vanish from store shelves for a while.
Left is weaponizing food, Klar tells popular podcaster
“On the left, they’re trying to weaponize food. They’re saying it’s all about equity,” Klar tells Stuckey. “They’re saying it’s all about cows, and then climate change comes in. But in the end, people need to eat.”
Healthy honeybee population climbs
In 2023, VAAFM reported the highest number of colonies on record, 17,145.
Klar: Saudi water battle in Arizona
A prelude to future resource conflicts?
