Vermont Business Magazine. Steven Judge, a well-known Micro Dairy farmer with over 50 years of experience in the dairy industry and founder of Bob-White Systems, has always been an advocate for environmentally responsible farming, community-based farms and farmers. He has turned that advocacy into a new campaign to support small farms in Vermont and ensure that new legislation, ACT 64, doesn’t put small farms out of business.
"Act 64 as written will not clean up Lake Champlain, said Judge. "Rather than address the problem head on, the Vermont Legislature and VAAFM have chosen instead to impose unrealistic, confusing and unenforceable regulations on the State's small farms whether or not these farms are actually contributing to the problem. The majority of the agricultural pollution that enters Lake Champlain is due to manure being spread on bare ground outside of the growing season, thousands of acres of plowed ground being left open without cover crops fall, winter and spring, and little or no regulations regarding the application of commercial fertilizer in the state. These are are not sources of pollution usually associated with "small farms" in Vermont."
According to Judge, most small farmers in Vermont don’t understand the impact that ACT 64 or the associated Required Agricultural Practices (RAPs) could have on their farms. Act 64, signed into law in June 2015, directed the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets (VAAFM) to create a set of RAPs for Vermont farms; these rules are intended to reduce agriculture’s impact on the state’s waterways. The new RAPs will replace the Accepted Agricultural Practices (AAPs), which have been the regulatory framework for all farms since they were originally adopted in 1995, and then updated in 2006.
As written, Act 64 and the associated RAPs would require virtually all small farms in the state to either be regulated as an uncertified small farms (UFOs) or certified small farms (CFOs) by the VAAFM. Either way the level of regulation that will be imposed on Vermont's small farms by the Agency of Agriculture is unnecessary and historically unprecedented in Vermont and in the U.S.
As a result of theSupport Small VT campaignlaunched by Judge and Bob-White Systems, the Vermont Agency of Agriculture has graciously scheduled a meeting to include small farmers in Vermont in the discussion. The meeting onMarch 2at1:00 p.m.at BWS’ offices in Royalton will include adiscussion about the creation, amendment and implementation of Act 64 or the RAPs. Farmers are invited to attend the meeting.
You can hear more about the ACT 64 issue and how small farmers could be effected when BWS Founder Steve Judge talks onWDEV’s Open Mikeshowthis Wednesdayat10:20 a.m.
Information for the March 2 meeting:FB Event Info
I Support Small Farmswebsite
Order aB.A.R. Act 64 Bumper Sticker
About Bob-White Systems
Bob-White Systems provides innovative equipment, supplies, technology and resources for the local production of safe, farm-fresh dairy products. Bob-White Systems, creators of the LiLi pasteurizer, provides farmstead dairy consulting services and affordable small-scale dairy equipment including bulk tanks, portable milking equipment, dairy and cheese making supplies for Micro Dairies milking cows, sheep, goats and even water buffalo. Inspired by the Slow Food movement, Bob-White Systems supports local, farmstead dairy farmers across the country and aims to increase the availability of locally- produced, safe and delicious farm-fresh milk, cheese and yogurt. To learn more about the company, visit them online atbobwhitesystems.com, on Facebook atFacebook.com/FarmsteadDairyand on Twitter@FarmsteadDairy.