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Vermont Business Magazine Representative Peter Welch (D-VT), joined by a bipartisan group of 67 House colleagues, sent a letter to President Trump advocating for swift action to ensure Canada upholds dairy trade agreements.Last week, the president called out Canada’s dairy trade practices as unfair to US dairy farmers. However, the Canadian ambassador took umbrage with the entire US stance, noting that no new trade barriers have been put in place and that Canadaimports more dairy from the US than vice versa.

Vermont Business Magazine Members of the Chittenden County Homeless Alliance and Mayor Miro Weinberger today announced more progress towards their shared goal of eliminating homelessness in Chittenden County, with this year’s Point in Time count indicating a 12 percent drop in the number of homeless individuals. This progress includes a reduction in both the number of families experiencing homelessness and those who are chronically homeless. The 12% drop brings the overall decrease in homelessness to 45% over the past four years. The January count found 291 people in shelters, other temporary housing options, or completely unsheltered.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Monday released a 51-page summary of the fiscal year 2017 appropriations bill that totals $1.070 trillion in discretionary spending in compliance with the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015. The bill funds the government through September 2017. Negotiators reached agreement late Sundy night.

In addition, it includes $8.2 billion of disaster relief and emergency funding related to natural disasters; $77.0 billion for Defense Overseas Contingency Operations, including a $15 billion supplemental, half of what President Trump requested; $16.5 billion for foreign assistance Overseas Contingency Operations, and $1.96 billion for program integrity.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont dairy workers will lead what they believe will be hundreds of supporters through Burlington in a march to Ben & Jerry’s flagship store on Church Street.Marchers are calling on the iconic ice cream company to end human rights abuses in its dairy supply chain by signing onto Migrant Justice’s Milk with Dignity program.The march will then head to the USfederal building, with recently-detained immigrant leader Enrique Balcazar leading denunciations of President Trump’s attacks on working people.

Where and When: Monday, May 1st, Burlington, VT

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Commission on Women (VCW) recently announced the addition of the Vermont Early Childhood Alliance and Let's Grow Kids to its Advisory Council. The Council is made up of organizations whose interests align with the Commission's mission to advance rights and opportunities for Vermont women and girls.

Leonine Public AffairsDespite the first year of divided power after six years of Democratic control, elected leaders avoided partisan differences for most of the session. There have been disagreements along the way but with near unanimous votes on the budget and the least controversial tax bill in recent memory, those differences have been minor. That all changed this week.

Vermont Business Magazine Trout habitat will be improved, water will be cleaner and invasive plants will be better controlled, thanks to funding from Vermont's 2017 Watershed Grant Program.The program, established by the legislature in 1998 and financed by a portion of the sales of the Vermont Conservation License Plates, is co-administered by Vermont Fish and Wildlife and the Department of Environmental Conservation. Grants to nonprofits and towns support both hands-on projects and education programs that improve aquatic habitat, water quality and flood resiliency.

Grants totaling $100,000 were awarded this year. Funded projects include:

* Culvert replacement and erosion control on a tributary of the Hoosic River in Pownal (Bennington County Regional Commission).

* Replacement of a culvert with a new bridge that will allow improved movement of fish and wildlife between Hall's Creek and Lake Memphremagog (Town of Derby).

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont’s statewide energy efficiency utility, Efficiency Vermont, has been named a 2017 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence Award winner. The award is given for continued leadership in environmental protection through superior energy efficiency achievements. Efficiency Vermont’s accomplishments were recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy in Washington, D.C. on April 26, 2017.

Efficiency Vermont, an ENERGY STAR partner since 2000, will be honored for its leadership in promoting energy efficient solutions to residential customers across Vermont. Key accomplishments in 2016 that led to this award include:

Vermont Business MagazineAs hunters across Vermont gear up for the 2017 turkey season, Vermont’s Ag Secretary and Fish and Wildlife Commissioner are praising the many farmers and hunters, who work together the steward Vermont’s land. “There’s a strong tradition of partnership between Vermont’s farming and hunting communities, who share a natural appreciation for the rural beauty of our state, and a strong conservation ethic,” according to Vermont’s Ag Secretary, Anson Tebbetts, who is both a farmer, and a sportsman.“We have more than 1.25 million acres of farmland here in Vermont. Many of those acres have been opened to hunters, thanks to the special relationships many hunters and farmers have formed over time.”

Vermont Business Magaine TheChittenden Solid Waste Districthas been awarded a grant worth $79,960 by theVermont Department of Environmental Conservation(DEC)to help cover costs for providing facilities and education for the proper disposal of hazardous waste generated by residents and qualifying businesses. The grant is part ofasolid waste assistance fund provided by the state to help towns and solid waste planning entities implement their solid waste plans, as required by state law. The grant is awarded annually totowns by the DEC, an arm of theVermont Agency of Natural Resources.

Vermont Business Magazine Norwich University in Northfield has been named a Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education (CAE-CDE) by the National Security Agency and Department of Homeland Security through 2022. Also, the Department of Defense Cyber Crime Center (DC3) recently certified Norwich as a National Center for Digital Forensic Academic Excellence (CDFAE).

Both federal certifications designate Norwich’s cybersecurity programs as fulfilling the needs of the federal government as well as addressing major concerns of private industry that runs much of the nation’s critical infrastructure, from banking to healthcare. Upon successful graduation from a CDFAE designated school, students will receive a certificate of completion.

Vermont Business MagazineLedyard Financial Group (Ticker Symbol: LFGP) announced today a regular quarterly dividend of $0.48 payable June 2, 2017 to shareholders of record as of May 12, 2017.Ledyard Financial Group, Inc, headquartered in Hanover, New Hampshire is the holding company for Ledyard National Bank, with offices in Vermont. Ledyard National Bank, founded in 1991, is a full service community bank offering a broad range of banking, investment, tax and wealth management services.