Editor’s note: This commentary is by Joseph Tisbert, who is president of Vermont Farm Bureau. He is a certified organic vegetable grower, who with his family owns Valley Dream Farm in Cambridge.
[I]n a recent commentary in VTDigger, John Klar asked the question: Who does Vermont Farm Bureau serve? Although we appreciate Mr. Klar’s inquiry we do not agree with his analysis. We welcome this opportunity to answer this question.
The Vermont Farm Bureau membership is as diverse and creative as Vermont farming itself. Here is a sampling of our 3,500-plus members who come from every one of our 14 counties of Vermont:
• A third generation bee farmer who is passionate about pollinator protection
• An organic beef farmer who produces maple syrup, wine and hosts weddings
• A single mom who with her two daughters raises sheep
• Am Iraqi war veteran who works tirelessly to help heal veterans through farming.
• A dairy farm, begun in 1940 that milks 700 cows, and employs fifteen people, some family members.
• A therapeutic riding program located on 40 acres
• A conventional vegetable farmer and logger, who farms 55 acres
• A couple who voluntarily work to conserve diverse species and conduct their farming operation to accomplish this.
The reasons people join the Vermont Farm Bureau are as varied as their agricultural pursuits:
Farmer to farmer support: One member joined because of the support Vermont Farm Bureau showed him when he sought to have statutes modified as regards the slaughter of poultry. The Vermont Farm Bureau supported the most recent on farm slaughter bill and was mentioned on the floor of the Vermont Senate for its support.
Legislative voice: Our members’ farms are family farms and family-run businesses. Farmers want pragmatic, sensible and economic business solutions to problems. They want a strong voice in protecting the working landscape, and how they farm their land.
But “agribusinesses” are your neighborhood seed store, plant nursery, agricultural machinery and parts stores, retail farmers’ market, coops, CSA, farmers of all kinds and more.
Tradition: Vermont Farm Bureau is over 100 years old. Formed during World War I, it met a need for farmers who needed a larger farm-focused voice in the laws that were being made, laws increasingly made by non farmers. Let’s face it. It is always easier to tell someone else how to run their business. Vermont Farm Bureau has deep roots in Vermont’s soil, and has earned the respect of farmers and the businesses that depend on agriculture. We have multi-generational members.
Business focus: Running a farm and making a living is complex; the production of food is highly regulated; add to that mix, labor and environmental issues and you’ve got a lot of moving parts. Business laws and regulations touch almost every aspect of farming. Vermont Farm Bureau understands that farming is a business.
Education: Many members cite our commitment to education, every year fighting for a robust agricultural program at the Vermont state colleges, for the 2+2 program, for the extension program, for FFA, for 4-H, funding in the schools for agricultural curricula at all levels and funding for our state agricultural fairs.
Benefits: Vermont Farm Bureau members receive many financial benefits as well. Our most popular benefit is Nationwide insurance. It’s a mutual company owned by its policy holders. Over half of its board of directors are active farmers. Members get a discounted rate on their farm policies. We work to provide others.
Vermonters tend to have a healthy distrust of some agribusinesses. But “agribusinesses” are your neighborhood seed store, plant nursery, agricultural machinery and parts stores, retail farmers’ market, coops, CSA, farmers of all kinds and more. Here in Vermont, agribusinesses help produce and deliver to the end consumer the food and fiber for daily life. They are neighbors and friends.
We have 3,500 members. We gather at the county level. Who creates our policies? Our members, hard working, dirt-under-their-nails farmers. We form our own policies and set our own legislative priorities. Every member has an equal vote. It’s democracy at its best and messiest as we may not always agree. We do not cater to big companies, we don’t hire specialists to form our policies, we attempt to solve our own problems our way. Every farmer and every type of farming is welcome here. We pride ourselves on being professional, respectful members of the Vermont fabric. And we always welcome more questions!
