Current News

Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets As many of us prepare to spend time with family and friends this holiday season, we naturally pause to give thanks. For many Vermonters, the dinner table will feature a fresh Vermont turkey, local produce, a selection of Green Mountain cheeses, or baked goods made with pure Vermont maple from a family recipe. We are fortunate to enjoy this abundance—made possible by those who work on the land. Our farmers put in long hours year-round so we can enjoy fresh, local food. Their work is demanding, and their commitment unwavering. And this year has been no exception. In fact, 2025 has been a roller coaster for many. One thing is clear: farmers are not operating in a predictable landscape. Uncertainty has become the norm. Yet Vermonters—especially our farmers—know how to rise to the moment. They are strong, smart, and resourceful.

Vermont Business Magazine The holiday season officially arrives in downtown Burlington as the Church Street Marketplace prepares to welcome its beloved Christmas tree and host the community’s favorite lighting celebration. The Marketplace will proudly welcome the arrival of its 30+ foot Christmas tree, a cherished symbol of the season. This year’s tree comes from the Whitney Family of South Burlington, Vermont. The tree will be delivered directly to Church Street, and its installation marks the beginning of the festive transformation that brings lights, celebration, and holiday spirit to the heart of Burlington. 

Vermont Business Magazine From snow-capped mountains and cozy cabins to twinkling lights and café-lined streets, America has no shortage of destinations that could double as Hallmark movie sets. New research from Betway Casino has revealed the U.S. towns that most embody that magical, movie-like Christmas feeling. The study explored towns and cities across the country, ranking them on festive factors such as the number of Christmas-related Google searches, holiday rentals with indoor fireplaces, cabin rentals, average December snowfall and temperature, and local cafés. The results reveal where in the U.S. you can find that picture-perfect winter escape - no movie studio required.

by Lauren Milideo, UVM A new count of Vermont’s bee species has identified nine species not previously reported in the Green Mountain State, bringing the total number of species in Vermont to 352, more than any northern New England state. “It surprises absolutely everyone to hear what the total number of bees is,” says University of Vermont pollination expert Taylor Ricketts, director of UVM’s Gund Institute for Environment and coauthor of the new paper published in the journal Northeastern Naturalist.  Recent counts of bee species across New England identified 325 species in New Hampshire and 278 in Maine. Greater diversity was found further south in Connecticut (386 species) and Massachusetts (397). The appearance of new species likely stems from several factors.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Gasoline prices are holding steady above $3 despite expectations that they should decline, which has been a common refrain this year. Average gasoline prices in Vermont are $3.13/g, unchanged from last week, 4 cents/g higher than a month ago and 2 cents/g lower than a year ago. The lowest price in the state this week was $2.83/g while the highest was $3.29/g, a difference of 46.0 cents per gallon. The national average price of gasoline is $3.04/g, down 5 cents/g from last week, down 1 cent/g from last month and down 2 cents/g from a year ago.

Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets In response to ongoing and worsening drought conditions across the state, VAAFM has launched a 2025 Agriculture Drought Impact Survey to understand its effects on Vermont farms. This year's drought is the third consecutive season farmers have suffered severe weather impacts, including frost and floods, and now drought.  Many Vermont businesses, still not fully recovered from the 2023 and 2024 frosts and flooding, are once again facing uncertainty and impacts.   

Pride Center of Vermont (PCVT) is humbled and grateful to share that we have received an anonymous $350,000 gift to help stabilize the organization and support the important work ahead. This gift arrives at a time when we are listening deeply, rebuilding intentionally, and working to shape the future of PCVT based on what our community tells us it needs. We have already received incredible financial and moral support from values-forward organizations like Ben & Jerry’s and Vermont’s own Noah Kahan. It is a powerful expression of trust in the 2STLGBQIA+ community we serve and in the Board’s efforts to move forward with clarity, accountability, and purpose. 

Vermont Business Magazine Hunters will still have several days of archery and muzzleloader deer hunting to enjoy in Vermont after the regular deer season ends on November 30. Archery deer hunting continues December 1-15, and muzzleloader deer hunting will occur December 6-14. An archery deer license and a hunting license are required to hunt during the archery season.  An antlerless deer, or a legal buck, if you did not take one earlier, are allowed during the archery season. A muzzleloader deer license and a hunting license are required to hunt during the muzzleloader season.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Law and Graduate School’s Environmental Advocacy Clinic (EAC), on behalf of the Vermont Public Interest Research Group (VPIRG), has filed an amicus curiae brief in the U.S. District Court for the District of Vermont in support of the state’s Climate Superfund Act, the landmark law that will help recover the escalating costs of climate change from certain responsible fossil fuel companies. The EAC’s brief defends the Climate Superfund Act, emphasizing the urgent need for climate resilience funding within the state — made clear by the historic flooding of 2023 and 2024.

Vermont Business Magazine Climate Advocates Bennington (CAB) honored Mikaela Lewis and Matt Harrington of the Southwestern Vermont Chamber of Commerce with the 2025 Environmental Leadership Award during the Bennington Rotary Club luncheon on Friday, November 21st. The luncheon was held at the Charlie Boyle Carriage Barn and welcomed members of the Compost Committee of the Solid Waste Alliance, as well as volunteers involved with multiple composting efforts throughout Bennington County in 2025. Leading up to the Chamber’s annual Garlic Town Festival, longtime volunteer and member of the Compost Committee Marsh Hudson-Knapp and Scott Grimm-Lyon of the Bennington County Solid Waste Alliance (BCSWA) worked with Event Manager Mikaela Lewis and event Compost Captain Kathy Sollien to implement various new vendor regulations and establish the mutual goal of becoming a completely zero-waste event within the next three years.

Vermont Business Magazine The sixth edition of Vermont Almanac has been published and is being shipped to readers and bookstores this week. The book features all new stories about and by Vermonters. If you’re not familiar with Vermont Almanac, it’s an annual book that’s produced by For the Land Publishing, a Vermont non-profit organization. The book is organized by season, and there’s something for anyone who has an interest in the land and the people of Vermont. If you are familiar with the book, you can expect Volume VI to be different from the previous five in a number of ways. Instead of breaking the past year down by month, we did it by season. We reimagined our weather section. We loosened up on word counts. We encouraged the many talented writers we work with to follow their whims. 

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Historical Society has launched its first annual Women’s History and Material Culture Fellowship. This fellowship will work with VHS’s Collections Manager to explore, identify, and research items from our vast artifact collection to identify and study objects that help to tell the story of women in Vermont. Fellowship projects will span multiple facets of the VHS collection, offering hands-on experience with everything from costume and textiles to farming tools and decorative arts found in Vermont homes and businesses. The fellow will also work with staff in the Leahy Library and Archives, identifying and publishing crucial connections between documentary and material culture resources.