Vermont Agency of Agriculture

Vermont is the latest state to confirm the presence of a highly-spreadable form of bird flu now sweeping the nation. And the discovery was made in an iconic bird species — the bald eagle. “It’s terribly distressing,” nature lover Mara Coven of Burlington said after hearing three sick bald eagles have recently died in Vermont from the disease known as…

With the virus in Vermont, the state veterinarian wants farmers and backyard chicken raisers here to limit contact between their flocks and wild birds, to quarantine domesticated birds coming in from other farms, and to make sure boots and equipment aren’t contaminated with bird droppings — a common way influenza spreads between animals.

Agriculture officials in Vermont are asking people to remain aware and vigilant following the recent discovery of an invasive pest that could harm fruit crops and other products. The limited discovery and quick response have not led to concerns over an infestation in Vermont at this point, according to the state’s bug expert. The spotted lanternfly, which actually jumps...

Vermont officials are preaching vigilance against an invasive pest that can damage trees.

Maine agriculture authorities are asking residents who receive unsolicited packages of seeds from China in the mail to avoid opening them and contact the state. People around the country have reported receiving the packages. The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry said recipients should contact its Division of Animal and Plant Health during a weekday to report the arrival…

Over the long holiday weekend, a grower in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom held a new twist on the familiar “pick-your-own” farm trips — encouraging visitors to pick their own hemp. At Baramu Farm in Stannard, the pick-your-own hemp offering was aimed at giving folks an up-close look at the crop that’s exploded across Vermont’s landscape.

A grower in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom has applied the pick-your-own concept to hemp.

Vermont state officials say that the Asian tiger mosquito which can spread the Zika and dengue viruses has been found in Vermont.

Top officials in Vermont are renewing their plea to people across the state to remain vigilant about potential threats from ticks this summer. The Vermont Agency of Agriculture regularly conducts tick surveys aimed at understanding the scope of the threat, collecting nearly 2,000 ticks this spring. Another round of surveying will be conducted in the fall, the agency said, with...

A member of President Donald Trump’s cabinet joined Vermont’s governor and state agriculture officials Friday to celebrate the kick-off to the sweetest time of the year in Vermont: maple season. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue learned how critical maple is to both Vermont’s bottom line and identity. Perdue tapped his first-ever tree, using an old-fashioned sap collection bucket. Modern methods...

A farm in Colchester, Vermont, has reported a series of roughly six thefts to police, who say it appears criminals are targeting an industrial hemp crop—mistakenly believing it is marijuana.

Agriculture officials in Vermont say hemp has the potential to be a game-changer for farmers looking for new sources of income, in both the Green Mountain State and all across rural America. For it to really take off, though, the federal government would have to make some significant changes. “The market is driving the expansion,” said Anson Tebbetts, the secretary...

Flourish Farm believes its cricket powder and snacks are poised for significant growth.

A new discovery in Vermont was one no one wanted to make: an invasive species that threatens to choke out some of the state’s trees.

The head of the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife says an amateur video of four bobcats frolicking in a suburban neighborhood shows that the state’s population of the normally elusive animals is healthy.

Hundreds of thousands of customers throughout New England still have no power following a weekend storm that impacted more than a million homes and businesses.

A new public safety campaign spearheaded by the Vermont Agency of Agriculture is asking drivers to be more patient with farmers and more willing to share the road.

The forest tent caterpillar defoliated 25,000 acres of trees in 2016 and is a major concern for maple producers in Vermont.