The Vermont Department of Agriculture has announced a series of public hearings on new agricultural rules.
Six public hearings are planned through the end of June on the Required Agricultural Practices proposed rule.
In June 2015 the legislature passed the Vermont’s Clean Water Act requiring voluntary water quality practices become mandatory and more stringent.
The new rules, which go into effect in 2017, affect practices such as cover cropping, manure and ag waste management and buffer zones.