council

Advisory Council
Sustainable Agriculture Council Advises the Center and
Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets

Together, the Center and the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets established a joint sustainable agriculture advisory council in 1995. The council's legislative mandate is to "encourage the development and use of economically and ecologically sound sustainable agriculture practices." Council members are appointed by the Vermont Commissioner of Agriculture and the Dean of the Division of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Extension at the University of Vermont .

Sustainable Agriculture Council Members*

Roger Albee, Secretary, VT Agency of Agriculture, roger.albee@state.vt.us

Philip Ackerman-Leist, Green Mountain College, ackermanleistp@greenmtn.edu

Brent Beidler, Beidler Family Farm, bbeidler@innevi.com

Hank Bissell, Lewis Creek Farm, lcfarm@gmavt.net

Megan Camp, Vice President, Shelburne Farms, mcamp@shelburnefarms.org

Ed Delhagen, Verdana Ventures, ed_delhagen@verizon.net

Chris Dutton, Vermont Technical College, chris.dutton@vtc.edu

Vern Grubinger, Northeast Director, USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education (SARE) Program, vernon.grubinger@uvm.edu

Gail Hall, Department of Education, gailhall@education.state.vt.us

Lisa Johnson, Vital Communities, lisa@vitalcommunities.org

Rachel Johnson, Dean, University of Vermont College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Rachel.Johnson@uvm.edu

Ellen Kahler, Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund, ellen@vsjf.org

Doug Lantagne, Director, University of Vermont Extension, doug.lantagne@uvm.edu

Jack Lazor, Butterworks Farm, butterworks@pshift.com

Allen Matthews, UVM Center for Sustainable Agriculture, allen.matthews@uvm.edu

Jenny Nelson, Dairy Farmer, Home Acres Farm, jnelson@pivot.net

Kit Perkins, Intervale Foundation, kit@intervale.org

Meghan Sheriden, Vermont Fresh Network, meghan@vermontfresh.net

Will Stevens, Golden Russet Farm, wstevens@shoreham.net

Anson Tebbetts, Deputy Secretary, VT Agency of Agriculture, anson.tebbetts@state.vt.us

Netaka White, Vermont Biofuels Association, netaka@vermontbiofuels.org

Enid Wonnacott, Director, Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont, elila@sover.net

Lini Wollenberg, Director, UVM Center for Sustainable Agriculture, lini.wollenberg@uvm.edu

Jim Wood, Natural Resource Conservation Service, jim.wood@vt.usda.gov

* Members are serving as individuals and not on behalf of their organizations.

SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE PRIORITIES

PRIORITIES SUMMARIZED:

Public relations about agriculture's positive impacts on Vermont
Economic development policies that recognize the direct and indirect value of agriculture
Educate youth about agriculture
Preserve farming enterprises
Increase consumption of Vermont-grown food
Develop alternative production and marketing techniques
Maintain agriculture at a scale that is consistent with the community and economically viable

Major issues identified by the council as critical to sustaining agriculture in Vermont are:

A public relations effort is needed to increase public awareness of the positive aspects of agriculture and the value of farming to Vermont's economy, culture, environment and aesthetics.
Economic development policies should recognize not just the value of "farm gate" production but also the indirect value of agriculture to food processing, specialty foods, tourism, and maintenance of wildlife habitat.
A positive future for Vermont's agriculture requires increased support for programs that encourage youth to understand and value farming, such as Agriculture in the Classroom and the Sustainable Agriculture Internship Program.
Build on the preservation of farmland with programs that focus on ensuring the success of future agricultural enterprises on this land such as Land Link Vermont, the Farm and Agricultural Resource Management Stewards (FARMS) Program, and beginning farmer programs.
Local consumption of Vermont-grown food should be increased by enhancing consumer awareness of the benefits of buying locally and by providing incentives for public agencies to purchase locally. Use-value appraisal and other policies that recognize the value of maintaining "open land" are essential to the long-term viability of farming and forestry in the face of development pressure and high property taxes.
Alternative enterprise production and market research and development need to be supported in order to compare the viability of a diversity of alternative crops and animals and to identify the most promising candidates for Vermont.
The scale of agriculture matters , and it has to be in keeping with the community. We need to plan for the future, protecting our uniqueness while preparing to compete in the global economy. Ongoing support is needed to continue to develop products and markets that directly benefit Vermont farmers and their communities.

Council Reports

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Copyright © 2001 The Center for Sustainable Agriculture at the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College. All rights reserved. Web pages created by Deb Heleba and Gwyneth Harris; maintained by Rebecca Haskell. Last updated on April 15, 2008.

Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension Work Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914 , in cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture. University of Vermont Extension, Burlington Vermont . University of Vermont Extension and U.S. Department of Agriculture, cooperating, offer education and employment to everyone without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or familial status.