Editor’s note: This commentary is by Kendall Lambert, of Newport, who is running as an independent for the Vermont House of Representatives to represent the Orleans 2 district. She is the director for the Memphremagog Watershed Association, is on the board of NorthWoods Stewardship Center and is part of the Watersheds United Vermont Steering Committee.
[V]ermont’s farmers and agricultural producers are struggling. This is not news to anyone. We also know that Vermont’s working landscape is paramount to our way of life, to our economy, and is the foundation of our heritage. According to the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, Vermont’s agricultural sector contributes nearly $281 million to Vermont’s GDP.
With a contribution of that magnitude, why, just earlier this week, was I walking the overgrown hay fields of a farmer selling his land because he has no money? The week prior, I was on a site where the farmer had just sold his herd last year. We cannot claim to be an agricultural state, and we cannot sell images of red barns in countrysides, while the families who run those farms struggle so profoundly.
This isn’t a Republican, Democrat or Progressive issue. It’s a Vermont issue. They deserve better.
First, there is a lot of talk in this state about the environmental impact of farming, especially on our waterways. Let me make it clear that clean water is a necessity for our economy, health and environment. Our solution to cleaning up and improving our waters must involve our farmers. Not now, not ever, should this burden fall solely on their shoulders — this is a multi-sector problem with multi-sector solutions. But I promise to work with our farmers to balance farming interests with the environment, and step one, is to make sure that farming is an economically viable pathway for Vermont families.
Second, during this past legislative session, H.663, the agricultural enterprise bill, was passed. This bill, in part, opened up ways for farmers to diversify their income by creating a common set of laws regarding on-farm, community events. This bill took effect on July 1, and I believe it’s a great step forward, but I would take it further.
To continue to support agriculture the state needs to reduce burdensome regulation on farmers and to open up and even incentivize direct market opportunities to make it easier for farmers to sell direct to consumers without a middleman. Farmers also need direct financial support to implement on-farm best management practices, especially those that replace old equipment or systems with new technologies that reduce farmer’s operating costs AND assist in their continuing effort to implement environmentally friendly practices. An example of this is direct assistance to replace dairy fans or compressors with energy efficient technologies that will reduce monthly electric bills.
Lastly, the state needs to invest in our education, outreach and research professionals. Our UVM Extension officers, our conservation districts, and our state staff provide our farmers with necessary direct support, advocacy and help in implementing innovative practices, but they are overworked and overburdened. By enhancing their capacity for staffing and projects, the state can provide additional direct support to our farmers and continue to research and implement innovative on-farm systems.
Plain and simple, our farmers deserve better representation, and we deserve better.
