[T]om Gilbert’s farm in Stannard is at risk of losing its farm status, because the food scraps in the compost feed he uses could qualify his land as a “solid waste facility.” The way Gilbert farms depends on this compost, and losing his farm status is not an option.
A few miles north, in East Albany, Hannah Pearce and her dad Bill have tripled the number of birds they process at their poultry farm thanks to recent legislation, but are now facing problems with regulations on restaurant menus.
On Thursday, Gilbert and Pearce were among dozens of people who came to the Statehouse to advocate for their region at Northeast Kingdom Day.
“It’s going to take all of us, pulling in the same direction, to create more economic opportunity in every corner of our state,” said Gov. Phil Scott. “I hope we can continue to work together for the Kingdom to make this region an even better place to work, live, learn and play.”
Katherine Sims, director of the Northeast Kingdom Collaborative, presented two reports on priority areas for the Northeast Kingdom, the first dedicated to economic development “at the intersection of the creative, recreation and food sectors,” and the second about developing new leadership in the region.
To develop new leadership, the NEK Collaborative is launching initiatives on everything from creating programs to empower local leaders, making professional development opportunities affordable, growing a mentorship network and strengthening connections across communities.
The collaborative was established in the 1990s to promote economic and community development in the Northeast Kingdom, and is composed of representatives of private and public institutions in the three northeast counties of Vermont — Essex, Caledonia and Orleans.
On the economic development side, the collaborative is working on initiatives to collaborate the region’s marketing efforts, hosting place-based community events, creating more recreational programming for youth and connecting outdoor recreation to other parts of the economy.
“So often, we lament what we don’t have and we don’t really celebrate what we do have,” said Sen. Jane Kitchel, D-Caledonia. “I don’t want everybody to come to the Northeast Kingdom, because, in fact, that’s our beauty. But I want it to thrive on a strong economic base.”
The one initiative that both reports shared was the importance of bringing better quality and higher speed broadband internet to the Northeast Kingdom, particularly in rural hubs — something the region currently lacks.
Though the conversation focused largely on the economic report, Ted Brady, deputy secretary of the Agency of Commerce and Community Development, stressed how important the leadership development side of things is in driving the economic development that they want to achieve.
“This report is junk,” Brady said, holding up the economic report, “if not for this report,” referencing the leadership report in his other hand.
Throughout the day, residents from the NEK sat in on committee meetings to address their concerns with their legislators. But, Sims said, what made those conversations meaningful is that they were all happening together — the same principle that she hopes will help the entire Northeast Kingdom to thrive.
“I think the best dollar that this state has spent is the one making sure that Katherine Sims and the board of the collaborative are coming together to build a common vision,” Brady said.
