Current News

Vermont Business Magazine US Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) visited Sharon Elementary School Thursday to highlight new federal Farm to School legislation. The Farm to School Act, introduced by Leahy on April 22, seeks to reauthorize and expand the popular federal Farm to School program. Sharon Elementary School actively participates in Farm to School programing with a school garden, farm tours and an ongoing focus on health and wellness.

Vermont Business Magazine Three of Vermont’s specialty food producers received three awards in this year’s annual sofi Awards presented by the national Specialty Food Association (SFA). The sofi Awards, which stands for “specialty outstanding food innovation,” are the most prestigious awards in the specialty food industry and honor excellence across a variety of food categories, from vinegars to vegan snacks. Winners were announced on May 5th with two of Vermont’s producers awarded gold: Mount Mansfield Maple Products and Vermont Creamery and one awarded silver: Big Picture Farm.

Vermont Business Magazine BioTek Instruments has announced that the Cytation 7 Cell Imaging Multi-Mode Reader was awarded ‘Best New Drug Discovery & Development Product’ of 2020. The honor was voted upon by SelectScience members across the world and celebrated at the 2021 Scientists’ Choice Awards online awards ceremony. The Cytation 7 combines automated digital upright and inverted widefield microscopy with versatile multi-mode detection in a single compact unit.

Vermont Business Magazine The winners of Fast Company’s 2021 World Changing Ideas Awards were announced today, honoring the businesses, policies, projects, and concepts that are actively engaged and deeply committed to pursuing innovation when it comes to solving health and climate crises, social injustice, or economic inequality.

Vermont Business Magazine US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Deputy Under Secretary for Rural Development Justin Maxson today announced that USDA is seeking applications for grants to offset high energy costs in rural areas.

USDA is making the funding available through the High Energy Cost Grant program. This program helps state and local governments and nonprofit agencies acquire, construct, extend, upgrade, or otherwise improve energy generation, transmission or distribution facilities. Grants may also be used to install on-grid and off-grid renewable energy systems and to make energy efficiency improvements.

Eligible projects must be in communities where the average residential home energy expenditure is at least 275 percent of the national average. USDA expects to award up to $10 million for Fiscal Year 2021.

Vermont Business Magazine The City created its first Burlington Aging Council through Council resolution at the April 26 City Council meeting. The purpose of the committee is to elevate the contributions of older adults in Burlington, raise issues facing older in Burlington and the organizations that serve them, and make policy recommendations to the Mayor and City Council to address service gaps, needs, and opportunities that impact older adults in the Burlington community.

Vermont Business Magazine In honor of National Correctional Officers and Employee Appreciation Week, the Vermont Department of Corrections celebrates the many contributions made each day by our corrections officers and employees in their life and work as dedicated public servants. Throughout the week, there will be celebrations going on across the state to honor correctional officers, including hosted lunches and Twitter messages highlighting the staff at each correctional facility.

Vermont Business Magazine Student reporters with the Community News Service at the University of Vermont posted stories and photos from across the state for Green Up Day. More than 14,000 Vermonters collected 241 tons of trash and 9,000 tires May 1 -- in the 51st Green Up Day. There were also free muffins and coffee for Green Up Day participants outside of the Richmond Congregational Church.

Vermont Business Magazine #Farm24VT, a social media celebration of agriculture, food, and dairy in Vermont, is set for May 12 at 5:00 a.m. and will run for a full twenty-four hours. Nearly 60 Vermont farmers, agribusinesses, food producers, and others in the agricultural community will be sharing photos, videos, and stories to show the passion, hard work, and commitment that goes into growing and producing food. All of the posts will include the #Farm24VT hashtag so members of the public throughout the region can easily find them.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund (VSJF) announces the selection of the Energy 2021 cohort of the DeltaClimeVT climate economy business accelerator. Seven early-stage energy companies from across the US and Canada will work with climate economy leaders, industry experts, potential partners and investment professionals over the next three months while completing an intensive curriculum, developed by ecosVC, during online workshops, webinars and mentoring sessions.

Vermont Business Magazine The VDH knows that many people, especially younger Vermonters, may simply be waiting for a convenient moment to get their COVID-19 vaccination. To help make it as easy as possible, they are arranging for more walk-in opportunities at several locations. The VDH is also reporting today continued positive COVID-19 data, with 53 cases and no deaths, which remain at 248.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) on Wednesday issued the following statement after the Biden Administration announced it supports efforts to waive intellectual property rights for COVID-19 vaccines: “I applaud President Biden and his administration for taking this bold step in response to the world’s most urgent crisis. Our vaccination efforts here at home will only be successful if vaccination efforts in the developing world happen simultaneously. Supporting this waiver, and putting people over profits, will help us to do that by speeding up the production and availability of vaccines."