Current News

Vermont Agency of Agriculture Food & Markets Small farms looking to undertake diversification and/or transition activities can apply now for grants from a pool of special one-time funds from the VT legislature. The application portal is open now through March 4th. Small farms can apply for grants ranging from $5,000-$15,000. There is no match requirement for this grant. There will be an optional applicant webinar on Wednesday, January 17th from 10–11 AM. This grant can cover the costs of equipment, supplies, infrastructure, marketing, research, and/or workforce development costs within project categories.

U.S. Census Bureau As the nation observes Martin Luther King Jr. National Day of Service January 15, we pay tribute through census data and resources showing the civil rights leader’s impact on everything from voting rights and volunteerism to educational and economic progress. Following passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the U.S. Census Bureau began collecting voting and registration data as a supplement to the Current Population Survey every two years to ensure that elections are fair and open to all citizens regardless of race. In 1964, the Census Bureau reported that 69% of all voters age 21 and older and 58.5% of Black or African American voters participated in the U.S presidential election between Democrat Lyndon B. Johnson and Republican Barry M. Goldwater. In 2020, the share (66.8%) of all voters who went to the polls was lower but the share (62.6%) of Black voters went up.

Vermont Business Magazine VHCB AmeriCorps Members will step up to serve as volunteers on the annual Martin Luther King Jr. holiday to honor the life and legacy of Dr. King and improve their community. Members will support the Upper Valley Haven on projects for their Afterschool Program, Food Shelf, and Adult Shelter. Members will be joined by hundreds of thousands of Americans across the country in volunteer service on this day.

Vermont’s Small Business Administration The Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity/Financial Futures Program, Vermont’s Small Business Administration, and The Vermont Professionals of Color Network invite you to Lunch with Lenders: Exploring Funding Opportunities for Small Businesses on Saturday, February 3rd from 10am – 1pm at the O’Brien Center in Winooski. This business-oriented celebration of Black History Month brings together community members and lenders (both traditional and non-traditional) for conversations on accessing Capital. Bring your questions and come ready to share your experience! Lunch will be provided. 

Vermont Business Magazine The Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended, requires that any security assistance or arms provided by the United States to any country must advance internationally recognized human rights and avoid identification of the United States with any violations of those rights. The Act prohibits assistance to any government that engages in a consistent pattern of human rights violations. On Thursday, December 14, 2023, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) introduced a resolution under Section 502B(c) of the Foreign Assistance Act to force a debate on the indiscriminate bombing campaign being carried out in Gaza by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. The floor vote on Sanders’ resolution is scheduled for Tuesday, January 16, 2024.

by Anson B. Tebbetts From Canaan to Cavendish, and Duxbury to Dummerston, Vermonters are asking for more housing units and better-quality dwellings. Workers - employees - we hear you, asking for more well-constructed homes, apartments, and condos so you can work, live, and play closer to where you earn. We are listening and determined to act. We hear calls for more housing from all industry sectors. From high tech, to hospitality, to hospitals – to agriculture - the need is serious. Every week, we hear from young farmers who have tremendous energy, enthusiasm, and training to work the land, producing food for Vermont and our region. We also hear from New Americans who have moved to the Green Mountains for a better life. 

by Heather Duhamel and Sharron Harrington When Vermont’s legislature passed Act 76 in May 2023, it represented a major step toward fully funding our state’s child care system as a public good. While the law takes effect, our organizations and others are working in partnership to build up the well-prepared early childhood education workforce Vermont needs. Public investment, plus programs and resources that support access to education and training, make a career in early childhood education more attractive than ever before. Act 76 promises a $125 million annual investment in Vermont’s child care system. 

Vermont Center for Emerging Technologies After many years of ski racing and cycling, Carina Hamel and her husband and co-founder, Robby Ringer, were done drinking from moldy, plastic water bottles. They set out to revolutionize the water bottle, and Bivo was born. An innovative metal cycling bottle with a high-flow nozzle, Bivo makes it efficient, easy, and fun to stay hydrated on your ride. In this episode, Carina shares her story of how an active lifestyle and a career in the shoe business drove her to solve the problem that nobody else would.

Vermont Business Magazine Bennington alum and notable abstract painter Cora Cohen ’64 donated a large painting to Bennington College before her death in June. The painting was given in honor of Pat Adams, a faculty member teaching during Cohen’s time at Bennington. The painting, Heart of Darkness, from 2004, was chosen from Cohen’s studio specifically for the Bennington context. Large and almost square, at 69 inches by 71 inches, its materials include acrylic, charcoal, copper, Flashe, oil pastel, pastel, and pigment on muslin. 

by C.B. Hall, Vermont Business Magazine In the wake of the very successful extension of Amtrak's Ethan Allen Express service to Burlington in 2022, $1 million in new federal funds will be advancing possibilities for a further expansion of the national passenger rail provider's presence in Vermont. The recently announced federal grants consist of $500,000 to plan expansion of service on the route of Vermont's other passenger train, the Vermonter, and $500,000 towards the inauguration of a new train that would originate in New York City and call in Manchester and Bennington on its way to Burlington. An informational release from Amtrak described the first appropriation as aimed at extending service on the Washington, DC-to-St. Albans Vermonter north to Montreal, and providing a second train on the route, although it would only go as far north as White River Junction. However, local commuter service is less likely and AllEarth's self-propelled cars might wind up out-of-state, from whence they came.

Vermont Business Magazine Each year, the Vermont Chamber of Commerce honors an outstanding Vermonter as the “Citizen of the Year.” This award is presented to the individual who has made major contributions to the betterment of Vermont; has been distinguished through outstanding service to their community and region; and typifies the true spirit of service and self-sacrifice in representing the finest ideals of Vermont citizenship. Nominations are now open for the Citizen of the Year and submissions are to be made online. The deadline to make a nomination is February 16. 

Leonine Public Affairs Lawmakers settled into their committees during the first full week of the 2024 legislative session as the House and Senate Appropriations committees worked through the proposed FY2024 Budget Adjustment Act (BAA). The budget writers are hoping to move quickly through the mid-fiscal year spending bill in advance of the FY2025 budget proposal. The governor has notified lawmakers that his FY2025 proposal will be limited to a 3 percent increase, which effectively level funds the budget and in some cases would reduce funding for programs due to inflation and other economic factors. Democratic leaders are also setting expectations with their caucuses and committees that pandemic-era spending levels will be curbed as emergency federal funding dries up.