Week Ending February 26, 2021 Click for More on House Bills Click for More on Senate Bills H.88 An act relating to certification of agricultural use for purposes of the use value appraisal program Changes to Current Use under H.88 would provide the Tax Commissioner the ability to waive eligibility requirements on a late certification if
Read More...By Christine McGowan, Forest Products Program Director at Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund When the water pump on Allard Lumber’s boiler went a few years back, Trevor Allard finally had the excuse he needed to begin building the Combined Heat and Power (CHP) system that he had been considering for years. “I couldn’t justify throwing out
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Click for More on House Bills Click for More on Senate Bills Bills of Interest S.52 An act relating to increasing the minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2025. This bill is in the Senate Committee on Economic Development, Housing and General Affairs. S.67 An act relating to repair of agricultural equipment -This bill is the Senate version
Read More...Great news for Vermont’s working landscape! Governor Scott has proposed investing $3.6million in the Working Lands Enterprise Initiative for Fiscal Year 2022. Thanks in part to the advocacy of many members of the Working Lands Partnership over the last several years, the governor and other members of the administration have recognized the value our working
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We continue to field calls about potential state and federal pandemic economic relief packages and know that many forest businesses are concerned. We are actively monitoring for new relief packages, but currently, there is nothing new to share. The Agency of Commerce and Community Development (ACCD) maintains a list of available programs, and we encourage
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As of January 1, 2021, residential wood heaters (stoves, furnaces, and boilers – all wood fuel types) with at least a 75% efficiency rating are eligible for a 26% Federal tax credit. The tax credit and all the rebates listed below *can* be combined. EPA Certified Stoves: $500 point-of-purchase rebate through Efficiency Vermont, plus an additional $100
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Brad Johnson lives in Northfield, VT and operates Third Branch Horse Logging with business partner Derek O’Toole. Third Branch uses draft horses and some machine use for land management, timber/firewood, and residential tree services around central Vermont. Between the two of them Brad and Derek have over 25 years of experience farming and logging with
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It’s only six days into 2021 but I already feel like I own the hope of a better year ahead. That’s not to say we are out of the woods with Covid – we are not. We are still experiencing rising case counts across the country and many people are experiencing deep economic difficulties. Things
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I am in countdown mode …. 7, 6, 5, 4 …. and guardedly optimistic that 2021 will prove to be a better year for us all. I must readily admit that the December holiday season is not one of my favorites, except for the opportunity to bring people together around food. I love to bake
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Active VWA members and Tree Farmers come in all shapes and sizes, just like their woods. For this issue, we peek in on VWA member and Tree Farmer Jock Irons. Jock was born and raised in Bennington, where he stayed until he finished college. Then he moved to Alaska, where he stayed until moving back
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