A clear message at agriculture hearing in Statehouse: Just let us farm
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Farmer Stewart Skrill of Randolph Center addresses the House and Senate Agriculture committees during a well-attended public hearing on the future of farming at the Statehouse on Tuesday. |
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By Peter Hirschfeld Vermont Press Bureau - Published: February 18, 2009
MONTPELIER – Diane Wyatt just wants to sell her yogurt.
Proceeds from sales at a local market helped the West Newberry farmer support her family of seven, until a cease-and-desist letter from the Agency of Agriculture shuttered the income-generating venture.
"I would be faced with the penalty of law if I continued selling yogurts at farmers markets," Wyatt told legislators Tuesday night.
Wyatt was in violation of a law that prevents many local farmers from selling unpasteurized milk products to consumers
"The 350 pages of regulations made me realize my dreams were shattered," she said. "Financially … it was impossible to comply."
Wyatt was one of about 300 Vermont farmers who packed the Vermont House chamber for a legislative hearing on the future of agriculture before the Senate and House Agriculture Committees Tuesday night. For many of them, state and federal laws regulating sales of agricultural products represent the largest hurdle to profitability.
Vermont's evolving agricultural landscape has seen a trend toward smaller farms that rely on a diverse array of livestock and products. This "back to the future" phenomenon, according to many farmers, will preserve the open land and bucolic charm that define the state – but only if Vermont alters the regulatory hurdles that now prevent many small farmers from capitalizing on their products.
"We are not corporate entities and we should not be subject to rules that govern massive agribusiness," one Walden farmer told lawmakers. "We're not here looking for a handout, we're looking for a loosening of rules that stifle small farms."
Amy Shollenberger, head of Rural Vermont, said legislation pending in the Statehouse could ease the obstacles facing thousands of small farmers seeking to return the state to its former agricultural glory. Proposed legislation would allow farmers to sell higher quantities of raw milk, creating a revenue stream that could make farming financially viable for many residents.
The elimination of guidelines that prevent meat farmers from selling farm-slaughtered livestock to retail customers – also under consideration in the Statehouse – also could open up new commercial opportunities, according to Shollenberger.
"The estimate for Vermont is there are anywhere between 6,000 and 8,000 farms, and many of these are smaller-scale farms … A lot of these people are younger farmers who want to start small, test the market and not take on huge debt," Shollenberger said. "Unfortunately, in many cases regulatory hurdles are standing in their way."
The three-hour public hearing also included testimony from conventional dairy farmers reeling from a precipitous decline in the price of milk. Fairfax farmer Ralph McNall said a 50-percent decrease in milk prices over the last few weeks has threatened the future of many farms.
"The last few weeks have been devastating for us," McNall said. "However we plan to survive this somehow."
McNall urged Vermont lawmakers to lobby the federal government for emergency aid.
Barton farmer Dan Lacoss said his 50-cow dairy herd is struggling under the weight of near-record low milk prices. He asked legislators to join with neighboring states in demanding a restructuring of the federal milk-pricing system.
"We need a system that provides a fair prices for dairy farmers across the country that takes into account a regional price of production," Lacoss said.
Other farmers urged lawmakers to consider the role of farming in the economic redevelopment of Vermont. "Organizations have formed around state to understand what a valuable commodity agriculture can be," West Rutland farmer Greg Cox said. "We view it as the economic engine of the future in Vermont."
Cox said ensuring that open land is available for aspiring farmers will prove a wise investment.
"I really believe in my heart that continued support for conservation of prime agricultural land is critical to the future," Cox said. "Once you lose that agricultural land, we will not have capacity to produce a local food system."