Current News

Vermont Agency of Agriculture Food & Markets The Farm Agronomic Practice (FAP) Program is now open for applications from Vermont farms to support the installation of field conservation practices this summer through next spring. This program invests in soil-based agronomic practices that improve soil quality, increase crop production, and reduce erosion and surface runoff from agricultural fields. The Farm Argonomic Practice program operates on a first-come-first-served model and requires relatively little paperwork compared to some other funding programs.

by Joyce Marcel, Vermont Business Magazine It's hard to write a story for Vermonters about maple syrup because we already think we know everything. We know a stand of maple trees is called a sugarbush. We know a shed where sap is boiled is called a sugarhouse. We know when the sap is boiling by the sight of steam clouds rising from the farmer's shed. We know whether we prefer the pure A grade syrup on our pancakes or the darker, thicker, richer B. We know that when you pour maple on snow you get maple taffy, and we organize festivals around that knowledge. We know which of our neighbor's delicious-but-basic product we depend upon to get us through the season before we run out and have to buy supermarket maple. We know all that. However, it was only a matter of time before maple, like cheese before it, went upscale. So, I'm here to tell you that maple syrup isn't just for pancakes anymore.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Historical Society is pleased to announce that it will open a new exhibit about Vermont cartographer James Wilson, A New American Globe: Geography, Identity, and Craft in Early Vermont, on Sunday, July 3^rd. The exhibit will run for a year in the Vermont Historical Society’s Vermont History Museum in Montpelier and will provide a new look at Wilson and his impact on the field of cartography in the United States. The event opening will coincide with Montpelier’s July 4^th celebration, and admission to the museum will be free for the day.

Marks a triumphant return to a live, in-person event where networking opportunities will be emphasized

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Captive Insurance Association, the largest captive membership association in the world, opened registration this week for professionals to attend its 37th Annual Conference, taking place on August 8-11th, at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Burlington, Vermont. After a three-year hiatus due to the pandemic, this year’s in-person conference will deliver what has been sought after most—networking, business opportunities, and outstanding captive educational content all in one place.

Key Elements to the 2022 VCIA Annual Conference:

by Clare Morgana Gillis, Vermont Business Magazine Windham County residents often speak of their appetite for more robust economic development and the desire to create a place where young people don’t need to leave to get a good job or be able to afford to buy a home. But the problem with that appetite is that even if it’s fed, there’s no place for the byproduct to run off; lack of investment in infrastructure, in particular wastewater treatment, hampers the construction of new housing. Chris Campany, executive director of the Windham Regional Commission, said that while the housing problem has become much more acute due to pandemic buyup of housing stock, he’s heartened that the issue is widely recognized now. “There’s been an awakening on the issue of housing,” he said.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Creamery, B Corp Certified makers of consciously crafted artisanal cheese and butter, today announced it won the Specialty Food Association's coveted Gold sofi Award in the "Other Dairy" category for its Sea Salt Cultured Butter for the sixth time in five years, bringing the brand's total awards to 21 in six years. The coveted award solidifies Vermont Creamery's commitment to high quality artisan butters, creams, and cheeses. The 2022 award marks the second Gold and third trophy for Vermont Creamery's Sea Salt Cultured Butter.

Vermont Business Magazine There's no denying the appeal of sweet Bing cherries and dark fudge flakes. Cherry Garcia held the #1 spot on the list of Ben & Jerry's Fan Favorites for 25 years and remains one of the company's most popular flavors of all time. But that reign may be in jeopardy now, thanks to Ben & Jerry's newest Limited Batch. Welcome, Cherry Crumble: an irresistible concoction of buttery ice cream with cherries and swirls of oat crumble.

Vermont Business Magazine Today Secretary of Education Dan French and Deputy Secretary Heather Bouchey addressed the following letter to Vermont’s educator and school staff community. Additional information can be found on the AOE recovery website: Dear Vermont Educators: We have come a long way.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, House Speaker Jill Krowinski issued the following statement:

“It is deeply disappointing to see bills vetoed. H.505 and H.534 were both important pieces of our criminal justice reform work this year. H.534, a bill expanding eligibility for expungement and sealing of criminal history records for nonviolent offenses, builds on the already existing system of people being able to petition to have their records cleared and/or sealed. We know that many Vermonters go through difficult times, and not giving them the ability to clear their name after getting on a better path, only sets them up on a course to be denied employment, housing, and a better quality of life.

Vermont Business Magazine The Burnor Farm in Fairfield, Vermont played host today to visitors and state officials to highlight the developments of the Vermont Phosphorus Innovation Challenge (VPIC), and what the future may hold for the technologies and business models that have been developed to date.

Launched in 2018 by Governor Phil Scott, the Vermont Phosphorus Innovation Challenge is an initiative to develop new technologies and practices that help to improve our state’s water quality. VPIC has facilitated the deployment of new technologies for removing phosphorus from our environment and utilizing the phosphorus residuals in value-added post-products. Improving the options for phosphorus management enables farmers and other land managers to better distribute phosphorus resources on the farm. These methods help prevent excess phosphorus runoff into the farm watershed, making the value-added phosphorus materials more readily transported, stored and applied to crops at appropriate times.