As Governor I will make agriculture the priority it should be. We are losing time, money and farms by not making a real commitment to and investment in our family farms and rural communities. We must find ways to increase the profitability of our dairy farmers and stabilize farm milk prices. At the same time we must support the great efforts going on in communities across the State to diversity and strengthen our farm economy.

We have so much to be proud of: many artisan cheese makers and quality meat producers, a growing network of community supported agriculture businesses and the great job our schools are doing helping to lead the buy local efforts along with the growing localvore movement. But, there so much more to do.

The State must set the example when it comes to buying Vermont products and helping provide markets for our farmers. It is frustrating to know that our prisons, state colleges and other institutions are still buying and serving dairy and other products that could be bought right here at home. We need more instate processing of meats, vegetables and other farm products. We need to make investments in agriculture infrastructure and on farm enterprises. And we need to build a Vermont Fair Trade certified brand of dairy and other Vermont products.

And we need a Governor who truly appreciates, is involved in and supports the family farmers of Vermont.

For over 25 years, I have worked with farmers across Vermont.

In the 1980’s I sat with stood with farmers in St. Albans struggling with the burden of increased property taxes. Bringing them together with farmers from other communities we won needed changes in the way farms are taxed in the current use program making it easier for farmers to join and benefit from that program.

In the early 1990’s we organized a series of national dairy farmers meetings bringing farmers from across the country to Montpelier and to Derby Vermont to talk together and lay the groundwork for a regional dairy policy, leading to the Northeast Dairy Compact.

More recently I worked with a group of farmers to found the Vermont Milk Company, a Vermont owned, farmer-controlled business with a diversified, value added processing plant in the Northeast Kingdom. The Company produces ice cream, cheese and yogurt. It hopes to provide a model for a Vermont Fair Trade business, paying farmers a fair price, not charging farmers trucking or other fees and keeping more of the consumers dollar in Vermont, going into the pockets of local farmers.

Among my other work with family farmers, I started a statewide hotline to help farmers deal with legal and financial issues, was founder of Rural Vermont a statewide farm and rural advocacy organization, many years on the board of the Northeast Organic Farmers Association (NOFA) and organized the first national conference on “Agriculture, Biotechnology and the Environment.”