Current News

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is seeking farmers and producers interested in turning their agricultural commodities into new products. The USDA Rural Development Value-Added Producer Grant program provides farmers with up to $250,000 in working capital or feasibility funding to turn raw agricultural products into finished products that increase producer profitability and create jobs. The deadline for grant submissions is July 7^th.

“USDA Rural Development wants to help farmers capture a larger share of the growing local food movement,” said USDA Rural Development Vermont and New Hampshire State Director Ted Brady. “The Value Added Producer Grant Program helps farmers do just that by providing grant funds to help turn things like apples into pie, milk into yogurt, meats into sausage or berries into jam.”

What’s the latest science on microplastics pollution in our lakes? What can be done to protect drinking water from harmful algae blooms? Which fish species are now safe to eat? These questions, and many others, will be explored at the 58th International Conference on Great Lakes Research, which is drawing more than 650 scientists from around the world to the University of Vermont in Burlington, Vt., May 25-29.

“New Views, New Tools” is the theme for the conference, convened by the International Association for Great Lakes Research (IAGLR) and UVM. This is first time the international conference will be in Vermont. It will be held in the University of Vermont’s Davis Center.

Keynote speakers include:

As the unofficial start to the summer season, Memorial Day Weekend marks the re-opening of Vermont’s legendary state parks. Vermont’s 52 state parks offer a wide variety of day use activities (such as boating, swimming, fishing, picnicking and hiking) and camping experiences, including drive-in camp sites, lean-to’s, cabins, cottages, remote campsites, group camping areas, and an inn-style lodge. Every park and site is surrounded by Vermont’s beautiful mountains, lakes, forests and fields.

Efficiency Vermont and Burlington Electric Department (BED) celebrated the arrival of an innovative new technology to Vermont Tuesday at the family-owned Bouchard-Pierce store in Essex Junction. A winner of the 2014 ENERGY STAR Emerging Technology Award, heat pump clothes dryers combine the cutting edge efficiency of heat pump technology with one of the highest energy-using appliances in the home.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), clothes dryers use more energy than any other large appliance in the home. From 2006 to 2010 an average of 9,538 dryers were sold annually in Vermont, of which, 87% were estimated to be electric. This year the first-ever ENERGY STAR labeled clothes dryers are hitting retail floors, including several heat pump dryers, which use approximately 40 percent less energy than a regular electric dryer.

by Morgan True vtdigger.org Governor Peter Shumlin said Vermont is still leading the nation on health care reform, but without a dedicated funding source, he acknowledged the state is struggling to afford an expanded Medicaid program under the Affordable Care Act. The Legislature did not implement the governor’s proposed health care payroll tax which would have increased Medicaid payments to medical providers. The $90 million tax would have also supported an increase in caseload and utilization costs. Shumlin told Vermont Public Radio that the failure of the initiative is the “biggest disappointment” of this legislative session.

The 31^st annual Vermont Chamber Business & Industry EXPO will take place this Thursday at the Sheraton Burlington Hotel & Conference Center. This is the largest business-to-business trade show in Northern New England, this year featuring a brand new one day public trade show schedule. With an estimated 3,000 business leader attendees and nearly 150 exhibitors, this event will create and strengthen B2B connections for Vermont economic growth.

Governor Peter Shumlin will announce the winner of the 2014 Deane C. Davis Outstanding Business of the Year during opening ceremonies in the conference center foyer. The three finalists for the award are: Bond Auto Parts, Champlain Cable Corporation, and S.D. Ireland.

Event Highlights

The three national credit reporting agencies—Equifax Information Services LLC, Experian Information Solutions, Inc., and TransUnion LLC—have settled consumer protection claims with Vermont Attorney General William H. Sorrell and 30 other state attorneys general. Under the settlement, the credit reporting agencies are required to make significant changes to their business practices to provide greater protection to consumers, and will make an $85,000 payment to the State of Vermont.

“Consumers deserve a system that ensures the accuracy of reports on their credit-worthiness. Now they are going to get it,” Attorney General Sorrell said.

The multistate investigation into the practices of the credit reporting agencies focused on credit report errors, unreliable information from “data furnishers” (providers of credit reporting information), and the marketing of credit monitoring products to consumers who dispute information on their credit report.

King Scholar Leadership Program founders Dottie and Bob King ’57 have made a $21 million gift to more than double their investment in the scholarship program they established to bring exceptional students from Latin America, Africa, and Asia to Dartmouth. The Kings’ gift will dramatically expand the program they founded in 2013 to support students from developing nations who are passionate about international leadership and global poverty alleviation. The recent gift brings total investment in the program to more than $35 million.

Governor Peter Shumlin, President Pro Tem John Campbell, Speaker of the House Shap Smith, and Tom Torti, President of the Lake Champlain Chamber of Commerce, today announced expanded commitments to Vermont-Quebec economic development, during a prospect visit by companies interested in learning more about doing business in Vermont. The event, hosted by the Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce, is part of their Vermont-Quebec Enterprise Initiative; an effort to position Vermont as the location of choice for Quebec companies looking to locate operations in the United States.

The Vermont Chamber’s EXPO is kicking off today at the Sheraton in Burlington and will continue Thursday. It features a new format this year, with an exhibitor-only day Wednesday with more than 400 business-to-business meetings happening today from 10-4. The Chamber deployed a new technology to allow the 150 exhibitors to request and accept pre-planned meetings with prospective customers.

Thursday is the traditional opening ceremonies for EXPO where we will be unveiling the Deane C Davis Outstanding Business of the Year at 10 am. at the Sheraton. Governor Shumlin will be on hand for that ceremony and will also cut the ribbon to open the show. New this year:

· The Dealer.com Digital Marketing Hub designed to help businesses take their online marketing to the next level.

· The TD Bank Innovation Institute features three sold out seminars on growing business featuring 14^th Star Brewing, UVM and Vermont Hitech

The Working Lands Enterprise Board announced on Tuesday this year’s 36 grant recipients – 24 agriculture and 12 forestry projects – for just over $1 million in both Working Lands and Local Food Market Development grant funding. These projects impact every county in Vermont, and leverage an additional $1.8 million in matching funds. Investments were made to 26 working lands enterprises and 10 service providers for projects that increase production, expand markets, develop innovative technologies, improve water quality, and train the workforce that Vermont’s businesses need to succeed.

Secretary of Agriculture, Food and Markets Chuck Ross, Deputy Secretary of Commerce and Community Development Lucy Leriche, and Commissioner of Forests, Parks and Recreation Michael Snyder joined the selected grantees and other program stakeholders at Maple Wind Farm in Richmond to celebrate this year’s grant recipients and the success of the program to date.

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Vermont is the healthiest state for seniors, rising from fourth place last year, according to the third edition of United Health Foundation’s America’s Health Rankings® Senior Report: A Call to Action for Individuals and Their Communities. New Hampshire ranks second, improving one spot from last year. Minnesota fell to third after being ranked first for two years in a row, while Hawaii (4) and Utah (5) round out the top five states. Louisiana ranks 50th as the least healthy state for older adults, followed by Mississippi (49), Kentucky (48), Arkansas (47) and Oklahoma (46).