Current News

Vermont Business Magazine U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont) joined U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), and John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) in leading a bipartisan group of 60 senators to reintroduce the Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies (CONNECT) for Health Act. The CONNECT for Health Act will expand coverage of telehealth services through Medicare, make COVID-19 telehealth flexibilities permanent, improve health outcomes, and make it easier for patients to connect with their doctors. Current flexibilities are set to expire on September 30 unless Congress extends them.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont House of Representatives on Wednesday passed H.91, An act relating to the Vermont Homeless Emergency Assistance and Responsive Transition to Housing Program, legislation that reforms the emergency housing program away from a hotel/motel focused program to a prevention and supportive service-based model. The strong bi-partisan vote reflects months of hard work, deep collaboration amongst state and community partners, and thoughtful input from Vermonters. The bill calls for a $10 million appropriation. Speaker of the House Jill Krowinski and Representative Theresa Wood, Chair of the Committee on Human Services, highlighted the importance of the bill: “The passage of H.91 is a huge step forward in moving our emergency housing program to a more cost effective, prevention-based program that some of our most vulnerable Vermonters desperately need."

by Vermont Agriculture Secretary Anson Tebbetts By the end of the month, we’ll have a clearer picture of how Vermont’s sugar makers view this season. How was the yield? What will prices look like? Where will the markets be? In June, the U.S. Department of Agriculture will release the official results of its annual survey. Last season, Vermont producers made more than three million gallons of syrup—accounting for over half of the total U.S. production. Last month, we had a spectacular time at Pure Gold Sugaring in Sutton. Governor Phil Scott, U.S. Senator Peter Welch, lawmakers from the Northeast Kingdom, and sugar makers from across Vermont gathered around a sturdy maple tree to celebrate the start of the season. Governor Scott, along with the Solinsky family and other producers, tapped the tree in honor of the hardworking Vermonters who craft the finest maple syrup in the world.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont’s trout fishing season opens Saturday, April 12. Despite lingering snow cover in some areas of the state, the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department says anglers can still have fun and be successful early in the season if they keep a few strategies in mind. Good adds that finding a small to medium low-elevation river or stream that is not too murky from spring runoff can be key.  Trout are coldblooded and may be slow to bite especially with cold water temperatures, so it is important that they can also see your bait, lure or fly. Larger baits can often be more effective for enticing early-season trout into biting.

Vermont Business Magazine Tuesday, April 1st marked the end of Vermont’s winter manure spreading ban, but as spring weather arrives, challenging field conditions may persist in parts of the State. Trends in Vermont’s weather show increasing precipitation through the spring season, rising temperatures, and more extreme precipitation events. The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets (VAAFM) is issuing a spring stewardship reminder to Vermont farmers and custom applicators to adhere to the Required Agricultural Practices (RAPs).

Vermont Business Magazine Two public information meetings will be held by the Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) this April to discuss how upcoming dam safety rules may affect the management of state-owned, manmade dams that have been impacted by beavers. The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is responsible for implementing Act 161 of 2018, including the development of technical standard dam safety rules for a wide range of dams outside of federal ownership. Included under the rule are approximately 100 dams owned by ANR such as the dam at the popular Bristol Pond Access Area in Monkton.

Vermont Business Magazine A painting by Cassy Pan of Lyndon, won the Best of Show in the Vermont competition of the 2025 Federal Junior Duck Stamp Conservation and Design Art Contest. The judging was held at the North Branch Nature Center on March 27th. Cassy, a student at Lyndon Institute, entered a painting of a common merganser. The Vermont Best of Show artwork will now compete in the National Federal Junior Duck Stamp Conservation and Design Art Contest. Cassy’s artwork will be included in an exhibit that will tour the United States for the coming year. The youth waterfowl conservation and design program is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It is part of a program that teaches students in grades K-12 about wetlands and waterfowl conservation. The art contest is modeled after the Federal Duck Stamp Contest for adult artists. 

Vermont Business Magazine The 19th annual Vermont Organics Recycling Summit (VORS) will be held on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in Randolph, VT. Organized by the Composting Association of Vermont (CAV) and the Agency of Natural Resources, the VORS brings together leaders, learners, and community members for valuable opportunities of networking, knowledge-sharing, and collaboration. With the theme "Sustainable Communities Begin with Compost!" this year’s Summit will explore how composting supports resilient communities, reduces waste, and nourishes soils at every scale – from backyard bins to large-scale facilities. Following the one-day event in Randolph, there will be free tours and workshops across the state on Thursday, May 1, 2025.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation (FPR) is reminding the public that mud season is here and many trails around the state are closed. During mud season, which can run until Memorial Day in upper elevations, hiking and biking trails are wet and muddy due to the combined effects of snow melt, thawing ground, and seasonal rain. We ask the public to avoid muddy, soft trails to protect sensitive vegetation, reduce erosion, and ensure trails are in good shape for the upcoming hiking and biking season.

by Josh Knight, VT Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets Are you a specialty crop grower in Vermont interested in selling to restaurants?  Or a restaurant owner/buyer interested in purchasing Vermont grown specialty crops?  The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets wants to hear from you! You may be asking, “What are Specialty Crops?” Specialty Crops, as defined by the USDA, include fruit & tree nuts, vegetables, culinary herbs & spices, and most horticultural crops. It is sometimes easier to say what specialty crops aren’t than what they are: if the crop is used for animal feed or fuel, it is NOT typically considered a specialty crop. With support from the USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant Program, the Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets is launching a project to connect Vermont specialty crop producers and restaurants for the purpose of increasing sales and enhancing marketing opportunities.

Vermont Business Magazine Nearly 250 students from more than a dozen high schools and career centers in Vermont met with health care professionals from across University of Vermont Health Network today, at a health care careers fair at Champlain Valley Exposition. More than two dozen departments from health care partners across the health system participated in the career fair, as did representatives from educational partners like Vermont State University and University of Vermont. UVMHN employs approximately 4,000 health care professionals. The event, the first of its kind in Vermont, comes after a similar career fair in Plattsburgh, N.Y., drew hundreds of high school students from across northern New York last October. 

Vermont Business Magazine Karen T. Moran will join Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan as executive vice president and President, Commercial Markets, effective April 7, 2025. Moran will transition into the role, succeeding Ken Dallafior, who is retiring at the end of 2025 following more than 20 years of executive leadership at BCBSM. BCBSM's Commercial Markets division accounts for $18 billion in annual revenue and serves 4.1 million of BCBSM's 5.1 million members nationally. The division operates the company's commercial health insurance business, Blue Care Network HMO, the long-term care and specialty benefits subsidiary LifeSecure, and the company's affiliation with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont.