Richard Nelson on the Challenges Facing Vermont Agriculture
Tuesday, September 22, 2026, Common Sense Radio with Bill Sayre, weekdays, 11 o’clock till Noon.
Richard Nelson, Dairy Farmer and State Representative, joins Bill with an update on key issues facing Vermont farmers, and all those who depend upon or benefit from a healthy and resilient Vermont agriculture — our economy, environment, and culture.
Potential Questions and Issues
What are the chief challenges facing Vermont agriculture today — high diesel costs, tariffs, consolidation of milk processors, and of dairy farms, land use regulations, property taxes? High diesel costs, largely due to the war in Ukraine and the loss of Russian refinery capacity, affect the cost of transporting fluid milk, agricultural inputs, as well as farm machinery and equipment. How much has the cost of diesel increased in the last few months? Also, home heating oil, chemically, is quite similar to diesel, and therefore, the price of heating fuels moves in tandem with diesel. Many farm homes, as well as homes in rural communities, are heated with fuel oil, and so also are affected by the war in Ukraine.
The military conflict with Iran, also has affected fertilizer shipments. How have tariffs affected our Vermont farmers? What should we know about Canadian treatment of dairy product imports? And their regulation of the milk production and prices. With the closure of several value added dairy manufacturers have closed in recent months. What should we learn from this situation? What investment in milk processing are underway in New York State? How have property taxes affected Vermont farmers? And land use regulation — Act 181’s road rule and tier 3 land designation, which were repealed? How did these proposed rules affect the life property rights of our farmers? What remains to be done to improve regulation?
What are the environmental; benefits of working farms and forests? Water quality, air quality, wildlife, songbirds, scenic beauty, and Carbon.
And the benefits to sustain rural communities and culture, that is created by those who earn their living by working the land — volunteers for community organizations — fire department, coaches for little League, 4-H leaders, Rotary, Lions, Churches, community select boards, and planning commissions. All the vitality of these volunteer services rest upon, and require a prosperous and productive rural economy.And if the rural economy is undermined, then so too are undermined these voluntary activities and our rural culture.
Are the effects of war in Ukraine and Russia on the price of energy for our farmers and rural communities, a foreshadow of how a Carbon Tax or Clean Heat Standard would affect the price of energy for our farmers and rural communities?
What should we know about the Farm Bill in the United States Congress? Milk in the schools.
What is the role of education, particularly through our Vocational Technical Centers, for our farm economy. And what should we know about the farm labor situation, and immigration issues. The role of advancing technology in milk production .. Robotic Milking.
What is the role of diversification in Vermont agriculture — different products grown, particularly fruits and vegetables, and different kinds of livestock. Artisan cheeses, and organic produce.
Many Dairy Farmers have woodlots, and Maple Sugarworks. What should know about their contribution to farm viability.
