New stricter rules on preventing agricultural runoff, rising fuel prices and a general decline in small, family farms in recent years all present serious challenges for Vermont’s farmers.
A conference taking place today at the Sheraton Center in Burlington is designed to provide solutions. It’s a meeting between farmers, lawmakers and environmental scientists fostered by a joint effort with the Vermont Agency of Agriculture and the Vermont Environmental Consortium, a non-profit group that’s getting together for the first time with the Ag Department to help farmers sustain their land and turn a profit in a rapidly changing environment.
Daniel Hecht is the Vermont Environmental Consortium’s Executive Director. He spoke with Mitch Wertlieb about the conference and how the idea for it came about.