Skip to main content
 
Senator Leahy and Senator Sanders listen to witnesses at a Judiciary Committee hearing in St. Albans on September 19, 2009, on the antitrust issues facing a struggling dairy industry.
On September 19, 2009, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) lead a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in St. Albans to look into the antitrust issues in the dairy industry.  Leahy was joined by Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).  Witnesses who testified included Christine Varney, head of the anti-trust division of the Department of Justice, and several Vermont farmers.  Click here to read more about the hearing.

Congressional Conferees Agree on Aid for Dairy Farmers September 30, 2009
Vermont's Farmers are a critical part of our state's economy, history and culture.  From centuries-old dairy farms to year-old organic production farms, many Vermonters depend on our lands for their livelihood.  As the senior member, and former Chairman, of the Senate Agriculture Committee, Leahy has been a long-time champion for Vermont agriculture, anti-hunger and environmental priorities. 

Because of his efforts, the 2008 Farm Bill expands the basic safety net for dairy farmers with the Milk Income Loss Compensation (MILC) program, brings to Vermont record levels of funding and wider access to farmland conservation programs that have become crucial engines in the cleanup of Lake Champlain, and will dramatically increase support for food banks and the Food Stamp program.  The 2008 Farm Bill offers additional support to help farmers make the transition to the booming organic sector, a program Leahy fathered and took effect in October 2002. Leahy's Farms for the Future program -- now the Farmland Protection Program, which was created in the 1990 Farm Bill -- has helped preserve more than 350 Vermont farms.

Recent News
Contact Senator Leahy Site Map and Search Privacy Policy Contact information
Contact Senator Leahy Site Map and Search Privacy Policy